JERUSALEM — Israeli President Isaac Herzog began consultations with political parties Wednesday to form a new coalition government following last week's general election, in which neither Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's bloc nor centrist rival Gadi Eisenkot secured a majority in the 120-seat Knesset.
Herzog told party leaders that not every campaign commitment can be fulfilled if they wish to avoid another election. Electoral officials confirmed there was no evidence of irregularities and dismissed claims from Netanyahu's camp that Arab-led parties had stolen the vote.
"This is a real danger," Justice Noam Sohlberg, chairman of the Central Elections Committee, said of doubts about the election's legitimacy. "One of the foundations of democracy is the ability to have a peaceful transfer of power. This stems from the understanding that the will of the electorate obligates us all."
Netanyahu's right-wing Likud party, along with far-right and ultra-Orthodox allies, secured 53 seats in the Oct. 27 vote. Eisenkot's centrist Yashar party and three other Jewish opposition parties won 48 seats. Two Arab-led alliances, the United Arab List and the Joint List, collectively garnered 19 seats, following a surge in turnout among Arab voters.
Most Jewish parties had pledged before the election not to form a government with Arab-led parties, complicating coalition negotiations. The Shin Bet security service is investigating allegations of foreign interference, though the elections committee head said any such interference would not alter the outcome.
Herzog has wide discretion in selecting which Knesset member to invite to form a government. The selected individual is granted 28 days, with a potential 14-day extension, to build a coalition.
