Herzog kicks off Israel's new government formation

Israeli President Isaac Herzog officially recognized the outcomes of the recent parliamentary elections on Wednesday, marking the beginning of efforts to form a new government. This development comes after Benjamin Netanyahu and his allies lost their parliamentary majority and Arab-led parties achieved historic gains in the Oct. 27 vote. Herzog emphasized the importance of accepting the election results as legally binding, stating that it was time to face the reality of the situation.

Netanyahu and his supporters have repeatedly claimed that the election had been stolen by Arab-led parties, possibly with foreign assistance. However, Israel's elections commission found no evidence of fraud compromising the election's integrity. The Shin Bet intelligence service, led by Netanyahu appointee David Zini, is conducting a separate investigation into allegations of foreign interference, but no evidence has been presented to support these claims.

The committee's head, Supreme Court Justice Noam Sohlberg, stated that while the agency believed there had been a widespread phenomenon of substantial funds flowing into Israel from foreign states, it did not believe such interference had affected the election's results. Sohlberg warned that casting doubt on the election results was dangerous and legally binding.

With no majority secured by either Netanyahu's bloc or his chief rival's, several factions are now in consultations with Herzog to determine who will form the new government. It is expected that Netanyahu or opposition leader Gadi Eisenkot will be chosen to attempt to form a coalition government. If neither man can succeed, early elections are likely to be held next year.