Israel's president takes first steps on building new government after accepting election results

PBS NewsHour · Kim Chandler; David Fischer; Associated Press · 2026-11-04 21:16 UTC

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.

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.

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