Final Round of Consultations at President's Residence: Coalition Formation Continues

Consultations at the President's residence for the formation of a government are ongoing, with Benjamin Netanyahu and Gadi Eisenkot as the main candidates.

The tenth President of Israel, Reuven Rivlin, receives the eleventh president, Isaac Herzog, at the President's Residence, 2021 · Photo: Haim Zach / Government Press Office of Israel · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons

The second and final round of consultations at the President's residence began today in an effort to advance the task of forming a government, as reported by The Jerusalem Post and i24NEWS. According to the reports, while Likud and Otzma Yehudit are expected to nominate Benjamin Netanyahu, the Democrats, Ra'am, the Joint List, B'Yachad, and Yashar are expected to nominate Gadi Eisenkot. According to Haaretz, Eisenkot is expected to secure 56 recommendations compared to only 46 for Netanyahu. Meanwhile, uncertainty remains regarding the position of United Torah Judaism, after five of its members announced they would not nominate anyone, while two others are still considering supporting Netanyahu. Further details have not yet been released.