Israel’s political impasse moved to the presidential residence on Wednesday as President Isaac Herzog began deliberations over who should receive the first mandate to try to form a government. The decision follows a divisive election that left neither veteran Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu nor his rival Gadi Eisenkot with enough seats to command a governing majority on their own.
The presidency in Israel is largely ceremonial, but this stage gives Herzog a pivotal role. His choice determines which political leader will be given the first opportunity to assemble a viable coalition and attempt to become prime minister. In a fragmented parliamentary system, that mandate can shape the direction of negotiations even when no bloc emerges from an election with a clear path to power.
The consultations mark the beginning of what could become a prolonged period of bargaining. Party leaders must weigh alliances, policy demands and political risks before any government can take office. The absence of a decisive winner increases the importance of Herzog’s judgment, because the first nominee will have a limited political window to persuade potential partners and demonstrate that a stable coalition is possible.
For Netanyahu, the challenge is to convert electoral support into the parliamentary backing required for another term. For Eisenkot, the task is to show that an alternative governing arrangement can be built despite the same arithmetic constraints. Both face the immediate reality that the election result has not delivered a straightforward mandate, leaving Israel’s next government dependent on negotiations rather than a single dominant outcome.
The process may last weeks or even months and can end without a government being formed. If the effort fails, Israel could be forced back to the polls, extending uncertainty at a moment when political divisions remain prominent. Herzog’s deliberations therefore open a constitutional phase that is procedural in form but highly consequential in practice, with the country’s leadership still unresolved after the vote.
