Herzog urges parties to avoid another election as no bloc wins a majority

President Isaac Herzog said on Wednesday that every effort must be made to keep Israel from going back to the polls, in what several Hebrew outlets described as his first public reaction to the election results. According to remarks posted by commentator Amit Segal, Herzog said he had made the same point before the vote and that, "certainly after yesterday," everything had to be done to avoid further elections.

Herzog added that he expected everyone who comes to see him to come "with an open mind." Ynet reported that the remarks follow results that do not give a majority to either political bloc, and that the president was directing his call at the party representatives who will take part in the formal consultations at his residence.

What the president's consultations are

In Israel's parliamentary system, voters choose party lists for the Knesset, the country's parliament, rather than a prime minister directly. After the results are in, the president holds a round of meetings with delegations from each party that won seats. In Hebrew this process is often called the matzad hamamlitzim, literally the "parade of recommenders," because each party tells the president which lawmaker it recommends to form a government.

On the basis of those recommendations, the president hands the mandate to try to build a coalition to the candidate judged most likely to succeed. The role is largely ceremonial in normal times, but it carries more weight when the outcome is close, because the president decides whom to task first and in what order the process unfolds. Herzog's request for an "open mind" was aimed at the delegations that will sit with him in these meetings.

Why a repeat election is the concern

When no bloc commands a majority in the Knesset, forming a government depends on parties crossing earlier lines or agreeing to arrangements they ruled out during the campaign. If no candidate manages to assemble a coalition within the time allowed by law, the Knesset can be dissolved and a new election called. Israel has experienced a run of repeat elections in recent years, and the prospect of another one is a recurring theme in coverage of close results.

Ynet noted that Herzog had already pledged, before the vote, to do everything he could to prevent a repeat election. He made that commitment at the "People of the State" conference organised by Ynet and the newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth. His remarks on Wednesday restated that position now that the results are known.

How the remarks were reported

The statement circulated quickly across Hebrew news channels. N12 correspondent Shoshi Hatuka reported that the president was responding to the results for the first time, quoting him as saying it was necessary to do everything to avoid further elections and to come with an open mind. N12 published images credited to Haim Goldberg of the Flash90 agency and, in a second post, to the spokesperson's office of the President's Residence.

News.co.il carried the same wording, also describing it as the president's first reaction. Ynet's alerts channel rendered the quote slightly differently, framing the first part as a direct appeal, roughly "do everything so as not to go back to elections." The fuller versions quoted by other outlets present it as a general statement of what needs to happen rather than an instruction to a particular party. The difference is one of phrasing in a short news flash; the substance reported by all four organisations is the same.

What the reports do not say

None of the reports give the seat totals or say which parties make up each bloc, and none state how close either side came to a majority. They do not say when the consultations will begin, which parties will attend first, or whether any party has already said whom it will recommend.

The reports also do not indicate whether Herzog has any specific arrangement in mind, such as a broad or unity government, or whether he intends to press particular parties. His reference to "yesterday" is quoted without further explanation. No party leader's response to the president's appeal is included in the material.