Israeli president accepts election results, begins coalition talks

Israeli President Isaac Herzog accepted the certified results of last week's parliamentary elections as legally binding on Wednesday and began consultations with party representatives on forming a new government, undermining Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's efforts to discredit the vote. The elections commission found no evidence of fraud after investigating all parties' claims, while Netanyahu and his allies lost their parliamentary majority and Arab-led parties made historic gains. Herzog stated "the elections are over" and began meeting with party leaders to determine who will be tasked with forming a coalition. A separate Shin Bet investigation into alleged foreign interference continues, though the agency provided no evidence, and Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara rejected a request to interrogate senior Arab lawmakers. If neither Netanyahu nor opposition leader Gadi Eisenkot can form a government, new elections would be held early next year.