Israeli President Begins Coalition Talks After Inconclusive Election

Israeli President Isaac Herzog began consultations with political parties on forming a new coalition government after official election results showed no clear winner. He warned party leaders that not every pledge can be fulfilled if another election is to be avoided. Neither outgoing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's bloc nor challenger Gadi Eisenkot's camp secured a parliamentary majority. Election officials said there was no evidence of irregularities, dismissing Netanyahu's camp's unsubstantiated claims that Arab-led parties "stole" the election. The October 27 election gave Netanyahu's Likud and far-right and ultra-Orthodox allies 53 seats, while Eisenkot's centrist party and three other opposition parties won 48. Two Arab-led alliances won a record 19 seats, making them potential kingmakers, though most Jewish parties pledged not to cooperate with them.