Israeli President Isaac Herzog on Wednesday formally accepted the certified results of last week’s parliamentary elections as legally binding and began consultations with party representatives on forming a new government, as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned that any coalition dependent on Islamist parties would be unable to confront radical Islam and would instead weaken Israel from within.
“Radical Islam is the challenge tearing countries in Europe apart,” Netanyahu said, adding that the same threat was directed at Israel. He accused Islamist political parties of seeking to erase Israel’s Jewish identity and undermine its ability to defend itself against its enemies, claiming their representatives openly expressed those objectives. Any government relying on such parties for parliamentary support, he argued, would be unable to respond effectively to the country’s security challenges.
“They are working to establish a narrow minority government, a government that relies on these supporters of terrorism,” he said, renewing his call for a broad national government led by Likud.
Herzog’s acceptance of the results came after the elections commission said it had found “no evidence of irregularities that compromised the integrity of the election or affected its results,” following a review of fraud claims. The move dealt a setback to Netanyahu’s efforts to discredit the vote, in which his bloc lost its majority while Arab-led parties made historic gains. A separate Shin Bet investigation into possible foreign funding remains ongoing.
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Yashar party chairman Gadi Eisenkot, in a statement addressed to friends in the United States and elsewhere, said the Israeli people “have voted for change and to replace the current government.” He noted that democracy remains strong and that efforts are underway to form a national emergency government as soon as possible.
Eisenkot highlighted the longstanding partnership between Israel and the United States and said he looks forward to working closely with President Trump and his administration.
The Ra’am faction, led by MK Mansour Abbas, which won eight seats, decided to recommend Eisenkot to Herzog, potentially giving him the support of 56 Knesset members. United Torah Judaism separately announced it will not recommend any candidate for prime minister.
Herzog began the consultations Wednesday night. The process will determine whom he designates to attempt to assemble a governing coalition.