Israeli president takes first steps toward forming new government after accepting election results

JERUSALEM (AP) — Israeli President Isaac Herzog on Wednesday accepted the certified results of last week’s parliamentary elections as legally binding and began consultations with party representatives on forming a new government.

The move dealt a blow to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s efforts to discredit the vote, in which he and his allies lost their majority in parliament, known as the Knesset, while Arab-led parties made historic gains.

WATCH: What’s next for Israel after elections produce political deadlock

“The elections are over. Now it’s time to face reality,” Herzog said.

Netanyahu and his supporters have repeatedly made baseless claims that Arab-led parties “stole” the elections, possibly with foreign aid.

Herzog began consultations with party leaders on Wednesday evening to determine who to nominate to form a government – ​​a process that could bring Netanyahu’s opponents to power.

Commission finds no fraud in Israeli elections

Israel’s election commission said Wednesday that after a thorough investigation into allegations of fraud by all parties, it found “no evidence of irregularities that would have compromised the integrity of the election or affected its results.”

Netanyahu’s Likud party did not respond to a request for comment.

A separate investigation by the Shin Bet intelligence service, led by Netanyahu appointee and loyalist David Zini, into allegations of foreign interference in the election is still underway.

At a private meeting Wednesday of members of the election commission, its chairman, Supreme Court Justice Noam Sohlberg, read a Shin Bet intelligence assessment saying the agency believed there had been a “widespread phenomenon involving the influx of substantial funds into Israel from foreign states,” including from countries hostile to Israel.

LEARN MORE: Israeli officials say elections will go ahead after Netanyahu claims Arabs stole votes

The Shin Bet has not provided any evidence to explain its claim. The Associated Press obtained a transcript of the assessment from a person who attended the meeting and requested anonymity to discuss a closed-door meeting.

The commission has previously said that while allegations that foreign actors sought to influence the election are serious and are being investigated, it does not believe such interference would have affected the results – even if it had happened.

Sohlberg reiterated this position on Wednesday. “At this stage, these are only suspicions, and even if they are founded, the scope of their potential impact is limited,” he said at a ceremony handing over the certified election results to Herzog.

Sohlberg added that it was dangerous to cast doubt on the results and said they were legally binding.

Public trust in the electoral process is “easy to destroy, but very difficult to restore,” he warned.

Consultations kick off coalition-building process

In the Oct. 27 vote, neither Netanyahu’s bloc nor that of the allies of his main rival, opposition leader Gadi Eisenkot, secured the parliamentary majority needed to form a new government, raising the possibility of an alliance between the two rivals or an alliance between Eisenkot and some of the Arab-led parties.

Herzog began a series of meetings with political parties on Wednesday. Three factions – all aligned with Netanyahu’s religious and nationalist base – recommended that Netanyahu be given a chance to form a coalition government, while a fourth – led by a former Netanyahu ally turned rival – recommended Eisenkot. Eight other parties, including the two Arab-led factions, are scheduled to meet with Herzog on Thursday, with Eisenkot’s Yashar and Netanyahu’s Likud speaking last.

WATCH: Projections show no clear winner in Israeli elections

After the consultations, Herzog will choose the candidate – most likely Netanyahu or Eisenkot – who he believes is most likely to form a coalition government. He has several days to announce his decision, which will then pave the way for weeks of negotiations.

If neither man manages to form a government, the country will hold new elections early next year.

Intelligence request to question senior Arab lawmakers rejected

The Shin Bet on Tuesday requested permission from Israel’s attorney general to question several elected officials as part of its separate investigation, including Ra’am party leader Mansour Abbas and other senior Arab lawmakers, Israeli media reported.

In a statement rejecting the request, Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara said: “It is not permissible to question citizens or elected officials without evidence justifying such action. »

WATCH: A retired Israeli general on what the election results tell us

The Joint List condemned the demand, calling it an “incitement campaign” by Netanyahu and his allies aimed at delegitimizing the Arab vote.

National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, Netanyahu’s far-right ally, called on the Shin Bet, over which he has no authority, to “arrest all leaders of Arab political parties” and interrogate them in “basement interrogation cells until these suspicions are fully clarified.”

Herzog said Wednesday that the Shin Bet investigation into possible foreign interference should continue, but warned that Israeli Arab voters “must not be vilified.”

“I condemn the crude and racist remarks we have heard recently,” Herzog said.

Melzer reported from Nahariya, Israel.