Herzog to Begin Coalition Talks as Israel Moves to Form New Government

Israeli President Isaac Herzog announced Tuesday that he will begin consultations with political parties on Wednesday afternoon, following the country's elections, as efforts get underway to determine who will be tasked with forming the next government.

The first round of meetings will involve representatives of the four smallest parties elected to the incoming 26th Knesset: Religious Zionism, Shas, Yisrael Beiteinu, and Zehut.

Earlier on Wednesday, at noon, Herzog is scheduled to receive the official election results from Central Elections Committee Chairman Justice Noam Sohlberg, in accordance with the procedures established under Israeli law.

The consultations, which will continue throughout Thursday with representatives of the remaining parties, are a key stage in Israel's government formation process. During the meetings, each party will have the opportunity to recommend a candidate for prime minister and present its position on the formation of a new coalition.

Following the consultations, Herzog will decide which Knesset member should receive the mandate to attempt to form a government.

According to Israeli media reports, the president intends to use the meetings not only to assess the parties' recommendations but also to explore alternative political arrangements that could help break potential coalition deadlocks.

Herzog reportedly hopes to encourage political leaders to “think outside the box” and consider possible compromises or new alliances that could make the formation of a stable government possible.

The president is expected to examine whether there are additional options for reaching agreements between parties, with the aim of exhausting every realistic possibility before assigning the mandate.

Wednesday's consultations will begin at 5:00 p.m. with representatives of Religious Zionism, who are expected to recommend Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to form the next government.

At 6:15 p.m., representatives of Shas are scheduled to meet with Herzog and are also expected to recommend Netanyahu.

Yisrael Beiteinu representatives will arrive at 7:30 p.m. and have announced their intention to recommend Gadi Eisenkot, leader of the Yashar party.

The final meeting on Wednesday will take place at 8:45 p.m. with Moshe Feiglin, the Knesset member-elect representing Zehut, who is expected to recommend Netanyahu.

The consultations will resume Thursday morning, beginning with United Torah Judaism at 8:30 a.m., followed by Otzma Yehudit at 9:45 a.m., The Democrats at 11:00 a.m., and Ra'am at 12:15 p.m.

Meetings will continue in the afternoon and evening, with the Joint List scheduled for 4:45 p.m., Yachad at 6:00 p.m., Yashar at 7:15 p.m., and Likud at 8:30 p.m.

The consultations are expected to provide a clearer picture of the political support behind the leading candidates and the prospects for forming a governing coalition, as Israel enters the next stage of its post-election political process.