By — Josef Federman, Associated Press Josef Federman, Associated Press By — Natalie Melzer, Associated Press Natalie Melzer, Associated Press Leave your feedback Share Copy URL https://www.pbs.org/newshour/world/israels-president-takes-first-steps-on-building-new-government-after-accepting-election-results Email Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Tumblr Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Israel's president takes first steps on building new government after accepting election results World Nov 4, 2026 4:16 PM EST JERUSALEM (AP) — Israeli President Isaac Herzog on Wednesday accepted the certified results of last week's parliamentary elections as legally binding and began consultations with party representatives on forming a new government. The move dealt a blow to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's efforts to discredit the vote, in which he and his allies lost their majority in parliament, known as the Knesset, while Arab-led parties made historic gains. WATCH: What's next for Israel after election produces political gridlock "The elections are over. Now is the time to face reality," Herzog said. Netanyahu and his supporters have repeatedly made unsubstantiated claims that Arab-led parties had "stolen" the election, possibly with foreign assistance. Herzog began consultations with party leaders on Wednesday night to…
Israel's president takes first steps on building new government after accepting election results
In short
President Isaac Herzog officially recognized the certified election results as legally binding, rejecting unsubstantiated claims from Benjamin Netanyahu that the vote was compromised. Neither Netanyahu nor opposition leader Gadi Eisenkot secured an outright majority in the October 27 election, forcing negotiations among various factions, including historic Arab-led parties. Herzog met with four factions on Wednesday night, with three endorsing Netanyahu and one backing Eisenkot. Eight additional political groups are scheduled to hold discussions on Thursday before a candidate is formally tasked with forming the government.
Key points
- President Isaac Herzog has officially accepted the election results as legally binding to…: President Isaac Herzog has officially accepted the election results as legally binding to begin government formation.
- Benjamin Netanyahu and his allied bloc lost their governing majority following historic g…: Benjamin Netanyahu and his allied bloc lost their governing majority following historic gains by Arab-led parties.
- Neither major political bloc won an outright majority, leaving the choice of prime minist…: Neither major political bloc won an outright majority, leaving the choice of prime minister candidate dependent on presidential consultations.