President Isaac Herzog has a particularly important role to play now that the election is over. He must decide who will receive the first mandate to form a government: Benjamin Netanyahu, Gadi Eisenkot or perhaps another candidate.
Sources close to Herzog say he currently prefers to wait for the official election results, which are expected in several days, before addressing the issue and inviting party representatives to the President's Residence for consultations.
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President Isaac Herzog must decide who will be given the mandate to form a new government
(Photo: Ohad Zwigenberg/AP)
Central Elections Committee Chairman Supreme Court Deputy Chief Justice Noam Sohlberg told Herzog on Tuesday that he expects to submit the official results only next Wednesday, although the results themselves are expected to be published several days earlier.
The immediate implication is that Israel is entering a period of uncertainty against the backdrop of a sensitive security situation and the approaching U.S. midterm elections. Until then, according to prevailing assessments, no unusual security developments are expected.
The central question is whether the political picture will become clearer and whether the White House and U.S. President Donald Trump will seek to intervene.
Sources close to Trump are holding talks overnight with Israeli officials to understand the exit poll results, the prospects of forming a unity government and the significance of the largest party in determining who will form the next government. Washington does not want to see another government that includes far-right elements such as Itamar Ben-Gvir and would prefer a unity government or a stable coalition.
The anti-Netanyahu bloc is concerned that the premier could attempt to trigger a regional escalation to complicate its efforts, and perhaps even force an emergency government with Yashar! Chairman Gadi Eisenkot. Eisenkot has categorically ruled out such a possibility, declaring that if it happened, he would "resign the next day."
Yashar! Chairman Gadi Eisenkot, US President Donald Trump, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu
(Photos: Jack Guez / AFP, Amir Cohen/Reuters, Mark Schiefelbein/AP)
According to most of Tuesday evening's exit polls, neither bloc has secured the 61 Knesset seats needed to form a government, partly due to the strong showing by the Arab parties. Based on the average of exit polls published by Channels 11, 12 and 13, the predominantly Arab Joint List and Ra'am parties are projected to win a combined 18 seats.
As a result, Israel appears headed for a politically complicated period alongside an already complex diplomatic and security situation. All three main television networks project a narrow advantage for the anti-Netanyahu bloc led by Eisenkot, with 52 seats compared with 50 for Netanyahu's bloc.
In the days leading up to the election, Trump published two messages endorsing Netanyahu, the latest just over 24 hours before polling stations opened across Israel at 7 a.m. Tuesday.
The anti-Netanyahu bloc is concerned that, in the absence of a decisive outcome between the two camps, as the exit polls currently suggest, Trump may seek to assist Netanyahu once more. Sources close to Trump's White House have offered several explanations in recent days for the president's support for Netanyahu. One was the claim that "Netanyahu promised Trump a unity government."
Opposition figures, however, believe the endorsement post was effectively compensation for Netanyahu over the postponement of a possible strike on Iran until after the U.S. midterm elections, if such an operation ultimately takes place.