Israel's President Begins Consultations as Parties Offer Divergent Recommendations

President Isaac Herzog commenced consultations with Knesset factions on Wednesday to determine who will be tasked with forming the next government, a week after the general elections. The ultra-Orthodox parties presented differing stances, with Shas recommending Benjamin Netanyahu, while Degel HaTorah and Agudat Yisrael decided not to endorse any candidate at this stage. This comes as Netanyahu and Gadi Eisenkot, the leader of Yisrael Beiteinu, vie for the mandate to form a government. A key point of contention in negotiations with the ultra-Orthodox parties remains the highly sensitive draft law concerning military conscription for yeshiva students.

During the consultations at the President's Residence, Shas, represented by Michael Malchieli, officially recommended Netanyahu, citing instructions from the Council of Torah Sages. Malchieli criticized the treatment of the ultra-Orthodox community in the previous term, while President Herzog suggested a broad coalition could be formed through compromise on the draft law. Yisrael Beiteinu, led by Avigdor Lieberman, recommended Eisenkot, with Lieberman emphasizing his support for Eisenkot does not extend to a minority government reliant on Arab parties. Ra'am also indicated it would recommend Eisenkot, while the Otzma Yehudit party joined the recommendation for Netanyahu.

In a significant development within Shas, party chairman Arie Deri announced he would remain in politics after the Council of Torah Sages rejected his request to retire. Deri's decision followed Shas's electoral decline from 11 to six Knesset seats. He stated his commitment to obeying Torah scholars and announced a party meeting to draw lessons from the election results. There is speculation Deri might forgo his Knesset seat but continue leading the movement.

Adding to the political discourse, Rabbi Moshe Maya, a senior member of the Council of Torah Sages, expressed openness to a rotation government between Netanyahu and Eisenkot, provided the draft law for yeshiva students is settled. His comments, made in an interview and a recorded statement, suggest a willingness to explore broader coalition possibilities.

United Torah Judaism, however, declared it would not recommend any candidate for prime minister, adhering to a pre-election commitment to condition support on the arrangement of the status of Torah scholars. This decision reflects an ongoing dispute with Netanyahu over the draft law and allows the party to maintain flexibility in negotiations with both potential prime ministerial candidates. The consultations are set to continue on Thursday with the larger parties, after which President Herzog is expected to task Eisenkot with forming the government, according to most assessments.