President Herzog Begins Consultations to Break Israeli Government Deadlock

President Isaac Herzog began formal consultations with political parties on November 4 to resolve a deadlock following the October 27 parliamentary elections. The results left the 120-seat Knesset divided, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's right-wing bloc securing 53 seats and Gadi Eisenkot's opposition bloc winning 48. Arab-led parties, including the Joint List and Ra'am, won a record 19 seats, positioning them as kingmakers in a system requiring 61 seats for a majority.

In a departure from tradition, Herzog is meeting with the smallest parties first to explore a wider range of coalition options. He has urged leaders to demonstrate flexibility and avoid repeat elections, while explicitly condemning racist rhetoric directed at Arab society. The process follows a period of intense friction; Netanyahu alleged that Arab parties stole the election through foreign funding, claims that the Central Elections Committee rejected after auditing over 9,000 polling stations.

Opposition leaders, including Naftali Bennett and Yair Lapid, have recommended Gadi Eisenkot for the premiership to form a national emergency government. While the opposition and Arab parties together hold 67 seats, internal divisions persist, as Avigdor Lieberman has ruled out a government reliant on Arab support. Meanwhile, Netanyahu has privately indicated openness to a rotational premiership with Eisenkot to avoid an opposition-led government, though Eisenkot has repeatedly rejected serving under him. The new Knesset is scheduled to be sworn in on November 10.