Israel's president holds final coalition talks with Likud and Yashar

Israeli President Isaac Herzog accepted the certified results of the Oct. 27 election and began consultations Wednesday on who will try to form a government; eight more parties, including two Arab-led factions, meet him Thursday, with Gadi Eisenkot's Yashar and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's Likud last, AP reports. Netanyahu's bloc won 53 of 120 seats and Eisenkot's 48, short of the 61 needed for a majority, while the Arab-led parties won a record 19, Al Jazeera reports. Herzog then has several days to pick a candidate, who gets 28 days to form a government, with a possible 14-day extension; if no one succeeds, Israel would hold another election early next year.

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Why it matters

Herzog's choice decides whether Netanyahu or Eisenkot gets the first chance to form Israel's next government. If neither can, Israelis would vote again early next year.

What to watch

Eight parties, ending with Yashar and Likud, meet Herzog on Thursday, November 5; he then has several days to name a candidate, who gets 28 days to form a government.

How each side sees it

Netanyahu and allies sayNetanyahu and his allies have claimed, without evidence, that Arab-led parties "stole" the election; Likud did not respond to AP's request for comment.

Election officials and Herzog sayThe Central Elections Committee found no evidence of irregularities that affected the results. Herzog said, "The elections are over. Now is the time to face reality," and urged both camps to compromise.

Sources

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Published Thursday, November 5, 2026. Spot an error? Email [email protected]. See our corrections log and standards.