Herzog begins coalition talks after certified Israeli election results, Eisenkot gains Arab party backing

Certified results and first consultations

On Wednesday, 4 November, Israeli President Isaac Herzog accepted the certified results of the 27 October parliamentary election as legally binding. Central Elections Committee chairman Noam Solberg handed him the results. Herzog then began consultations with party representatives, which are scheduled to run until Thursday evening at his residence in Jerusalem. He said he intends to hold open, candid and critical talks and to put difficult questions to the parties. He wants to avoid a new election where possible.

The acceptance was a setback for Benjamin Netanyahu's effort to discredit the vote, in which he and his allies lost their majority in the Knesset. Herzog framed the situation bluntly.

“The elections are over. Now is the time to face reality.”

Seats and blocs

The Likud party of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu won 27 of the 120 seats, the most of any party. Gadi Eisenkot's Jaschar party came second with 21 seats, and both leading parties have alliances with smaller partners. Netanyahu's right-wing religious bloc holds 53 seats, while Eisenkot's opposition bloc has 48. Raam and the United List together won 19 seats, and neither side reached the 61 seats needed for a majority in the Knesset.

Netanyahu bloc53

Eisenkot opposition bloc48

Arab-led parties (Raam and United List)19

Netanyahu bloc

53 seats

Eisenkot opposition bloc

48 seats

Arab-led parties (Raam and United List)

19 seats

Data from the article text

Likud27

Jaschar21

Likud

27 seats

Jaschar

21 seats

Data from the article text

Raam backs Eisenkot

On Wednesday Raam said its parliamentary group had decided to recommend Eisenkot to form the next government, and it planned to put that recommendation to Herzog on Thursday. According to 7sur7, Raam's eight seats would give Eisenkot's bloc 56 seats, above the 53 of Netanyahu's bloc. Spiegel calculates that with the support of both Arab-led parties, Eisenkot's alliance could reach 67 seats. The opposition parties disagree on whether Arab parties should take part in a government. The Times of Israel, as cited by 7sur7, reported that the United List could abstain rather than back Eisenkot outright.

Netanyahu camp disputes the result and regional tensions

Netanyahu and his supporters have repeatedly made unsubstantiated claims that Arab-led parties stole the election, possibly with foreign assistance. The Netanyahu camp accuses the Arab parties, which won 19 seats, of massive fraud. The opposition charges that the prime minister is trying to discredit a vote he did not win. The talks take place against a tense regional backdrop linked to the Middle East conflict, which could worsen if new strikes on Iran go ahead, strikes Netanyahu favours. Eisenkot said on X that under his leadership the partnership with the United States would be renewed and strengthened, and he expressed a wish to work constructively with President Donald Trump.

What comes next

After the consultations, Herzog will decide whom to task with forming the government, and that choice does not have to go to the leader of the largest party. Spiegel reports expectations that Eisenkot will receive the mandate first because he may get the most recommendations. Protesters in Israel have demanded a coalition with the Arab parties. The Raam recommendation is due to be presented to Herzog on Thursday, the same day the consultations are scheduled to end.