Israel’s President Opens Negotiations Before Netanyahu’s Term

Israeli President Isaac Herzog will nominate a candidate to form a government on Sunday, his cabinet said, a move that should see former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu return after his right-wing alliance wins last election of the week.

Herzog began consultations with political parties on Wednesday, meeting with representatives of Netanyahu’s Likud party, followed by meetings with other party representatives in the coming days. He said he hopes to conclude negotiations on Friday and assign the task of forming a government on Sunday.

Last week’s election saw Netanyahu end a stalemate after five elections in less than four years. Along with smaller far-right and religious parties, Likud won 64 seats in the 120-seat parliament, giving Netanyahu a solid majority and easing the process of forming a government.

It is likely to be one of the most right-wing in Israel’s history.

“The State of Israel has gone through a long period of uncertainty. There is a public desire to form a government as soon as possible,” Yariv Levin, a Netanyahu supporter, said during the meeting at the president’s residence in Jerusalem.

“There is a clear mandate from the majority of the public to form a right-wing government,” he said.

Netanyahu will have 28 days to talk to potential coalition partners, with a possible 14-day extension.

Its victorious bloc includes the Religious Zionism slate, co-led by Itamar Ben-Gvir, an incendiary ultranationalist who was convicted in 2007 of racist incitement and support for Kach, a group on Israeli and US terrorism blacklists.

Earlier on Wednesday, Herzog released a statement rejecting local reports that he was pushing for a unity government with centrist prime minister Yair Lapid and National Unity party leader Benny Gantz.

“The election results are clear and we must all respect them,” he said, denying that he was in favor of any particular government.