# Herzog begins coalition talks after Israel's election deadlock

> President Isaac Herzog has started consultations with parties after neither Benjamin Netanyahu nor Gadi Eisenkot secured a parliamentary majority in last week's election.
- Title: Herzog begins coalition talks after Israel's election deadlock
- Summary: President Isaac Herzog has started consultations with parties after neither Benjamin Netanyahu nor Gadi Eisenkot secured a parliamentary majority in last…
- Keywords: israel, isaac herzog, benjamin netanyahu, gadi eisenkot, election, coalition government, knesset, arab parties, BBC News
- Source: BBC News — https://bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c6z98z5z91ppo
- Published: 2026-11-04T15:45:45.391+00:00
- Read time: 1 min
- Topics: israel, isaac herzog, benjamin netanyahu, gadi eisenkot, election, coalition government, knesset, arab parties, news, world
## Herzog receives official election results
President Isaac Herzog received the official results from the Central Election Committee on Wednesday morning after an election he said had no clear winner.
## Netanyahu and Eisenkot both fall short
In the October twenty-seventh election, Netanyahu's right-wing Likud party and allies won fifty-three seats in the one hundred twenty-seat Knesset. Eisenkot's centrist Yashar party and three other opposition parties won forty-eight.
## Arab parties emerge as kingmakers
Two Arab-led alliances, the United Arab List and the Joint List, together won an unprecedented nineteen seats following a surge in turnout among Arab voters.
## Electoral officials reject fraud claims
Electoral officials said there was no evidence of irregularities and that unsubstantiated claims by Netanyahu's camp of Arab-led parties stealing the election did not justify delaying certification.
## Herzog warns on coalition compromises
Herzog told party leaders that to prevent another election and build a stable government, not every commitment and promise can be fulfilled in the current reality.

> not every commitment and promise can be fulfilled
## Shin Bet investigates foreign interference claims
The Shin Bet security service is investigating allegations of foreign interference in the election. The head of the Central Elections Committee stressed they would not fundamentally change the outcome.
## Netanyahu and opposition trade accusations
Far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir called for arrests of Arab party leaders. Eisenkot alleged Netanyahu was trying to carry out a veritable pogrom against democracy and the rule of law.
## Herzog begins twenty-eight day coalition process
Herzog announced he would begin consultations with party leaders on Wednesday evening. The chosen Knesset member will have twenty-eight days to form a government, with a potential fourteen-day extension.
## Key takeaway

Israel's president began coalition negotiations after an October twenty-seventh election left no party with a majority, with Arab-led parties holding unprecedented kingmaker status.