Herzog to hear smaller parties first in Israeli coalition consultations

President Isaac Herzog will open consultations on forming Israel's next government on Wednesday, meeting the smallest parliamentary factions before hearing from the largest. The President's Office announced the arrangement on Monday, November 2, as parties elected to the 26th Knesset prepare to recommend candidates to lead the coalition-building effort.

The meetings will proceed in ascending order of parliamentary seats, starting with Religious Zionism-Zehut and ending with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's Likud on Thursday evening. The sequence departs from previous consultation rounds, which began with the biggest parties. According to the President's Office, the change is meant to encourage consideration of a broader range of possible coalition arrangements before the larger factions present their positions.

The October 27 election left both Likud and Gadi Eisenkot's Yashar, the two largest parties, without an easy route to the 61 seats needed for a majority. Herzog has stressed the need to examine compromises that could avert another election. Hearing smaller factions first could give them an opportunity to outline alternative arrangements before his discussions with Netanyahu and Eisenkot.

Herzog said he would consider the positions of every faction as he seeks to explore all possibilities and expand dialogue over forming a government. He has also indicated that he could convene another round of consultations if the initial meetings do not prove sufficient.

Wednesday's schedule begins with Religious Zionism-Zehut at 5 p.m., followed by Shas at 6:15 p.m. and Yisrael Beytenu at 7:30 p.m. On Thursday, United Torah Judaism will meet Herzog at 8:30 a.m., Otzma Yehudit at 9:45 a.m., the Democrats at 11 a.m. and Ra'am at 12:15 p.m.

After an afternoon pause, the consultations will continue with the Joint List at 4:45 p.m. and B'Yachad at 6 p.m. Yashar is scheduled for 7:15 p.m., with Likud concluding the round at 8:30 p.m. Each faction will be able to recommend a Knesset member to receive the mandate to form a government.

Those recommendations carry weight, but the president does not have to choose whoever receives the most. His task is to identify the Knesset member most likely to succeed in assembling a government. Under Basic Law: The Government, that member receives 28 days to form a coalition, with a presidential extension of up to 14 days possible.

If the selected candidate fails, further legal procedures could allow another Knesset member to attempt to build a coalition. The consultations will be streamed live through the president's official social media accounts, giving the public access to the factions' recommendations and the initial discussions.