Israel President Herzog Holds Consultations With Political Parties as Netanyahu and Eisenkot Vie to Form Next Government

Following an inconclusive general election, Israeli President Isaac Herzog has begun the second day of consultations with newly elected parliamentary factions to decide who should receive the first opportunity to form the country's next government. The discussions, being held at the presidential residence in Jerusalem, began on the previous evening with meetings involving smaller political parties, including Religious Zionism, Shas, Yisrael Beytenu and Zehut. The consultations are being broadcast live, according to The Times of Israel.

Wednesday's schedule included meetings with United Torah Judaism, Otzma Yehudit, the Democrats, Ra’am, the Joint List and B’Yachad. The consultations then continued with Gadi Eisenkot's Yashar faction, before concluding with representatives of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's Likud party. During the meetings, each parliamentary faction is asked to recommend a candidate for prime minister. Based on these recommendations and his assessment of the political situation, Herzog will decide which legislator is most likely to secure sufficient support to form a governing coalition.

Under Israel's political system, the president is not automatically required to nominate the leader of the party with the largest number of parliamentary seats. Instead, the mandate is given to the candidate considered most capable of forming a government. The consultations have revealed competing political alliances, with several parties expressing support for Netanyahu, while others have backed Eisenkot.

Otzma Yehudit and Likud have confirmed their support for Netanyahu. The Religious Zionist Party, Shas and Zehut also endorsed the incumbent prime minister during Wednesday's consultations, according to The Jerusalem Post. On the other side, Yashar, the Democrats, B’Yachad and Ra’am have expressed support for Eisenkot. Yisrael Beytenu, led by Avigdor Liberman, has also recommended Eisenkot as its preferred candidate to lead the next government, reports said.

United Torah Judaism has not taken a unified position. Its four representatives from the Degel HaTorah faction said they would not recommend either candidate, while the three members of the Agudat Yisrael faction have yet to announce their position. The Arab-led Joint List has also kept its decision open, leaving the possibility of supporting Eisenkot or abstaining from the process.

Despite the differing recommendations, Eisenkot is reportedly considered the leading contender to receive the initial mandate from Herzog. His prospects are supported by the number of parliamentary factions that have publicly backed his candidacy, The Jerusalem Post reported. The political consultations come after Israel's parliamentary elections, held on October 27, failed to produce a clear outcome for government formation. The country's newly elected 26th Knesset is scheduled to hold its first session on Tuesday, November 10, as political parties continue negotiations over the formation of the next administration.

Disclaimer: This image is taken from ANI.