Herzog to open coalition consultations with Israel's smallest parties first

Israeli President Isaac Herzog will begin his formal consultations on who should form the next government by meeting the smallest parliamentary factions first, reversing the usual order in which the largest parties go in ahead of the rest. The Times of Israel reported, citing his office, that the first meeting will be with the leaders of Religious Zionism-Zehut at 5:00 p.m. on Wednesday, followed that evening by representatives of Shas and Yisrael Beyteinu, with further meetings on Thursday.

The announcement came a day after Herzog used a memorial ceremony to urge party leaders to soften the stances they took during the campaign. According to a statement from the President's Spokesperson, he told the audience he hoped representatives would arrive "with an open mind" and "with an open heart", and that the aim was to find solutions that avoid another round of elections.

What the president does after an election

Israel's president is largely a ceremonial head of state, but plays a defined role once a new Knesset, the country's parliament, is elected. After receiving the official results, the president holds consultations with each faction, hearing which candidate it recommends to lead a government. The president then assigns one member of the Knesset the task of trying to assemble a coalition. These consultations follow elections for the 26th Knesset.

Herzog said he would receive the official results this Wednesday from Justice Noam Sohlberg, who chairs the Central Elections Committee, the body that runs national elections, and who is also Deputy President of the Supreme Court. The meetings are to take place at the President's Residence in Jerusalem.

Why the order has changed

In past rounds the largest factions have been heard first. Several Hebrew-language outlets, including News.co.il and commentator Amit Segal, described the decision as a departure from that practice. N12 correspondent Shoshi Hatuka reported that the factions would be received in ascending order of size.

The President's Residence explained the move in a statement quoted by The Times of Israel. It said Herzog wants to hear every faction's position and look at whether there are "additional directions or alternatives" that could help produce agreements and a government. It described the approach as a way to "exhaust all possibilities" and to encourage what it called out-of-the-box thinking before the large factions are consulted.

Segal quoted the President's Residence as saying Herzog does not rule out a further round of consultations if one proves necessary. News.co.il likewise reported that the president would decide whom to task with forming the government after the meetings conclude and, if needed, after an additional round.

The parties named so far

Three parties have been identified in the early schedule:

• Religious Zionism-Zehut, a joint list on the religious nationalist right, which all reports agree will be the first faction received.
• Shas, a party drawing much of its support from Sephardi and Mizrahi religious voters.
• Yisrael Beyteinu, a right-wing secular party with roots among immigrants from the former Soviet Union.

The Times of Israel said Herzog would continue his meetings on Thursday, but the remainder of the schedule was not included in the material available.

The Weizmann ceremony remarks

Herzog spoke on Sunday at the state memorial ceremony for Chaim Weizmann, Israel's first president, held at Weizmann House in Rehovot, a city south of Tel Aviv. In the remarks released by his office, he said candidates tend to adopt elevated positions during an election campaign, but that the vote was now over and its results were a reality. He said the coming week's meetings would try to put up "ladders" so leaders could come down from those positions in a measured way.

He also said the doors of the President's Residence would be open to all factions and parties.

What the reports do not say

None of the reports give the election results or the seat totals of the parties involved, so it is not clear from this material which faction is largest or which candidates are seen as having a path to a majority. The reports do not explain why Herzog fears a repeat election, beyond his general call for compromise. The full Thursday schedule, the order in which the larger factions will appear, and whether a second round will in fact be held were not stated. The reports also do not say when Herzog expects to name the member of Knesset who will be asked to form a government.