President Herzog opens consultations with party leaders on who should form Israel's next government

4 November 2026

Israel's President Isaac Herzog has received the official results of last week's general election from the Central Election Committee.
He then began consultations with party leaders on whom to task with forming a coalition government.
Neither Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's bloc nor that of his rival Gadi Eisenkot won a majority in the 120-member Knesset.
Arab-led parties made historic gains in the vote.
Herzog told the leaders that not every promise could be kept if a fresh election is to be avoided.
In Israel the President, as head of state, chooses the member of the Knesset who gets the first chance to form a government.
Whoever he picks gets 28 days to build a coalition, which can be stretched by up to 14 more days.