Herzog Urges 120-Seat Knesset Parties to Negotiate as Election Deadlock Leaves No Majority
Updated
Updated · NBC News · Nov 1
Herzog Urges 120-Seat Knesset Parties to Negotiate as Election Deadlock Leaves No Majority
3 articles · Updated · NBC News · Nov 1
Summary
Isaac Herzog said he will begin consultations with party officials on Wednesday and urged them to negotiate with an “open heart” to avoid another election after last week’s inconclusive vote.
53 seats for Benjamin Netanyahu’s bloc and 48 for rival Gadi Eisenkot’s camp left neither near a majority in the 120-member Knesset, making Arab parties with 19 seats the balance of power.
Eisenkot signaled a possible opening by saying any lawmaker who accepts four conditions—including recognizing Israel as a Jewish state and opposing Hamas—could join his coalition.
Netanyahu has kept attacking Arab parties and ruled out partnering with Ra’am leader Mansour Abbas, while Shin Bet investigates possible foreign interference without accusing any specific group.
That split leaves Herzog to decide who gets the first mandate to try forming a government, with analysts warning the process could still end in weeks of stalemate and fresh elections.