Israeli Presidency Calls for Government Formation Consultations "With an Open Mind"

The office of Israeli President Isaac Herzog called on all representatives of the balance of power in the elected Knesset to hold consultations "with an open mind" as a prelude to forming the government, according to the Hebrew newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth.

Eyal Shouki, Director General of the President's Office, issued "an invitation to faction representatives to participate in a round of consultations, in preparation for their mandate to form the government."

He stated that "the President's office is wide open to all factions, and the President expects their representatives to attend the consultations with an open mind, a sincere desire to listen to ideas and express them, and to prevent holding additional elections," as he put it.

Knesset members Isaac Goldknopf and Meir Porush met with Yaakov Asher, head of the United Torah Judaism party, amidst the political turmoil following the elections.

According to sources within the party, United Torah Judaism is considering not nominating any candidate for the position of Prime Minister, noting that as long as Gadi Eisenkot, leader of the Yesh Atid party, has not presented any concrete proposal, there is no room for discussion.

The Israeli political and security arena has entered a highly complex and dangerous phase following the official announcement of the final results of the 26th Knesset elections, which took place last Tuesday.

The elections were not merely a traditional round of seat redistribution but turned into a real political earthquake that redrew the partisan map, leaving Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at a dead end after his camp failed to secure the necessary majority for governance, settling for 53 seats, while witnessing a notable rise for the change alliance led by Gadi Eisenkot and his Yesh Atid party, driven by a historic leap by Arab parties.