Israeli president says parties must engage with ‘open hearts’ to avoid new elections

Israeli President Isaac Herzog has urged the country’s political parties to begin negotiations on forming a new government with an “open heart”, as he prepares to consult factions on the way forward after an uncertain election result.

Last week’s elections saw Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s bloc denied a majority, with parties in his ruling coalition claiming 53 seats in the Israeli Knesset, which has 120 members.

The bloc’s parties aligned with Netanyahu’s main rival, Gadi Eisenkot, won 48 seats, leaving neither man with an obvious path to forming a government.

The balance of power is held by parties representing Israel’s minority Arab community, which has almost doubled its representation in the Israeli parliament with 19 seats. But Netanyahu and Eisenkot had ruled out working with them before the vote.

Since then, Netanyahu has continued to attack Arab parties, accusing them of adopting positions on Gaza and the West Bank that he considers unacceptable. Eisenkot, however, indicated he was open to working with anyone who would agree to four conditions regarding Israeli sovereignty and opposition to Hamas, potentially paving the way for a deal that could propel him to power and avoid new elections.

Even though Netanyahu is the leader of the largest party, it is up to Herzog – a largely ceremonial figure – to decide who gets the first chance to form a government. He will hold initial consultations with party officials on Wednesday, beginning a delicate process that could last weeks.

“I hope the representatives will come with an open mind, and today I add: with an open heart,” Herzog said in a statement Sunday. “Come listen and be heard, share ideas and find creative solutions to avoid another round of elections. »

Netanyahu, who is expected to remain in his post until a new government can be formed, claimed that Arab parties used foreign support to “steal” the elections, without providing evidence. Israel’s intelligence agency, the Shin Bet, said it was investigating possible foreign interference in the election, but that the investigation was not intended to “denigrate” any specific group.

Arab party leaders strongly denied any wrongdoing, while Herzog pushed party leaders to accept the election result.

“During an election campaign, candidates naturally and predictably rise to high positions,” Herzog said in his statement. “But the election is over. The election results are a fact. They are a reality. And now is the time to call on all of our leaders to stop climbing and face this reality.”

Eisenkot’s four conditions for potential partners include recognition of Israel as a Jewish state, commitment to the values ​​of its independence, acceptance of compulsory military service for all Israeli citizens, and recognition of Hamas as a terrorist organization.

“Every member of the Knesset willing to adhere to these principles is a potential partner on the path to establishing a new and better government for Israel,” he said in a statement on Saturday. “The door of the government we form will be open to any public representative who accepts these principles and is prepared to rise to the occasion. »

Netanyahu, meanwhile, said on Sunday that it was “forbidden” to form a government with Mansour Abbas, leader of the Arab Raam party.

He said on X that Abbas wanted to establish a Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital and evacuate Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories, citing a former political program of Ra’am.

During the campaign, Netanyahu’s Likud party repeatedly claimed that Eisenkot would bring Arab parties to power.

In one of several AI-generated videos released by Netanyahu, Eisenkot was shown astride a wooden Trojan horse, with Abbas and left-wing politician Yair Golan inside.

Abbas said Friday he was coordinating with other Arab leaders on “the prospects of forming a government to replace the one led by Netanyahu.”

Eisenkot’s anti-Netanyahu bloc contains a wide range of ideologies and views on the issue, ranging from Golan, who has publicly advocated a deal with Arab parties, to Avigdor Lieberman of the right-wing Yisrael Beiteinu party, who continues to oppose any collaboration with them.

With so much friction, a stalemate and new elections remain a real possibility.

Fawaz Gerges, professor of international relations at the London School of Economics, told NBC News that Israel still appears to be stuck, adding that the conditions imposed by Eisenkot on Arab parties actually require them to “give up their identity.”

“I don’t think we will see the opposition led by Eisenkot form a government in Israel,” he said. “So we find ourselves at an impasse. »

For Israel’s main parties, it is a choice “between Israel as a democratic state or Israel as an exclusive Zionist society,” he said.

But Yossi Mekelberg, a senior consultant in the Middle East and North Africa program at British think tank Chatham House, sees flexibility that could lead to a breakthrough.

Parties “make all these promises before the election, and obviously you break at least some of them after the election,” he said.