Israel's President Begins Consultations to Form Next Government Amidst Political Stalemate

Israeli President Isaac Herzog commenced consultations with parliamentary blocs on Wednesday evening to task a Knesset member with forming the next government, amidst a lack of a clear majority for either political camp. The Religious Zionism party recommended Benjamin Netanyahu for the role, while party representative and Minister Orit Strock's call to exclude Arab parties from any government coalition or parliamentary move drew a rebuke from President Herzog.

The consultations began with a delegation from the Religious Zionism party, including Strock, Itamar Eitam, and Zvika Mor, who informed the President of their recommendation to task Netanyahu. During the meeting, Strock stated that Arab parties are illegitimate for any government coalition or process, even for removing the Knesset speaker. President Herzog questioned her distinction between racism and her statement, emphasizing the need to understand that Arab citizens live in Israel and expressing his strong discomfort with such generalizations.

These discussions occur as the bloc opposing Netanyahu seeks to form a new government and initiate a Knesset process to replace its speaker, Amir Ohana. Initial estimates suggest Gadi Eisenkot, head of the Yachad party, may receive recommendations from 48 Knesset members, following an agreement between Yachad, B'Yachad, Democrats, and Yisrael Beiteinu to support him. Netanyahu is expected to receive recommendations from 46 members, with the ultra-Orthodox United Torah Judaism party leaning towards not recommending anyone, despite Shas party's support for Netanyahu.

Neither bloc has yet secured the necessary 61-member majority, with the stances of the ultra-Orthodox and Arab parties being crucial for coalition formation. President Herzog may task a candidate with at least 61 recommendations, but in the absence of a clear majority, his decision will depend on his assessment of a candidate's ability to form a government. The Basic Law: Government does not obligate the president to task the leader of the largest party or the candidate with the most recommendations, allowing him discretion.

The consultations, which are being broadcast live without press presence in the meetings, are scheduled to continue until Thursday. The process began with the Religious Zionism party, followed by Shas and Yisrael Beiteinu, with the Zehut party, part of the Religious Zionism list but participating independently, scheduled for later Wednesday. The order of blocs was reversed from the usual practice, starting with the smallest.

These consultations followed the delivery of the final election results to President Herzog by Central Elections Committee President, Judge Noam Sohlberg, on Wednesday. Sohlberg warned against attempts to question the election results' validity, calling them a "real danger." The committee approved the results despite objections from parties in the outgoing government, citing suspicions of foreign interference. Sohlberg asserted that the alleged interference, even if proven, would have limited impact and that the objections do not form a basis for questioning the entire election.

Sohlberg also briefed the committee on information from the Shin Bet regarding an investigation into foreign funding and election influence. The Shin Bet claims to have intelligence on significant sums of money transferred from foreign countries by hostile entities to influence the elections, affecting thousands. However, law enforcement and police sources stated they were unaware of such large sums or numbers, raising questions about the Shin Bet's claims, especially in light of Shin Bet head David Zini's earlier statement that the vote was secure. The Central Elections Committee also reported no indicators of compromised election integrity after examining over 9,000 ballot boxes.