Israeli President Isaac Herzog is set to begin consultations on Wednesday with parties that won seats in the Knesset to discuss the formation of a new government, according to the Israeli newspaper Haaretz.
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The newspaper reported on Saturday that the meetings are expected to be broadcast live.
Under Israeli practice, the president typically tasks the candidate believed to have the best chance of securing a parliamentary majority with forming the government, rather than automatically assigning the task to the leader of the party with the largest number of seats.
This means that current Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, leader of the right-wing Likud party, is among the leading candidates after his party topped Tuesday’s parliamentary elections with 27 of the Knesset’s 120 seats.
Opposition candidate Gadi Eisenkot came second, with his newly formed centrist Yashar party winning 21 seats.
However, neither Netanyahu’s bloc nor the opposition camp secured the 61 seats needed for a parliamentary majority, leaving the formation of the next government uncertain.
The candidate tasked by the president with forming the government is given 28 days to build a governing coalition, with the possibility of a 14-day extension.
If that attempt fails, the president transfers the mandate to another Knesset member, who is given 28 days to form a government. If that effort also fails, at least 61 lawmakers can propose a candidate to form the government within 21 days, after which the proposed candidate is given 14 days to form it.
If all three stages fail to produce a coalition with a parliamentary majority, the Knesset is automatically dissolved and new elections are held within 90 days.
Herzog has previously said he wants to avoid holding another election.
Thousands of people demonstrated in Tel Aviv on Saturday to demand the inclusion of Arab parties in the next government.
The Joint List alliance and the United Arab List together won 19 seats, nearly double their combined result in the 2022 elections.
Eisenkot has reiterated four conditions for his possible participation in the government. The main demands include a commitment to Israel remaining a Jewish, democratic and liberal state, while guaranteeing equal legal status for all citizens.
The conditions also include designating Hamas as a terrorist organization, with the aim of dismantling its military structure in the Gaza Strip and excluding it from political power.
It remains unclear whether the Arab parties will agree to all of these demands.
