Herzog urges party leaders to accept ‘reality’ of election results, avoid repeat election

Israel’s president calls on political leaders to compromise in order to establish a new government and avoid repeat elections after neither bloc achieved an outright majority.

By World Israel News Staff

President Isaac Herzog on Sunday called on Israel’s political leaders to set aside their campaign positions and seek compromises that could prevent another round of elections, ahead of consultations with the newly elected Knesset factions later this week.

Speaking at the state memorial ceremony for Israel’s first president, Chaim Weizmann, at Weizmann House in Rehovot, Herzog said he would receive the official election results on Wednesday from Central Elections Committee Chairman and Deputy Supreme Court President Justice Noam Sohlberg.

He will then begin consultations with representatives of the parties elected to the Knesset as part of the process of determining which lawmaker should be tasked with forming the next government.

“The doors of the President’s Residence will be wide open to all factions and parties,” Herzog declared.

The president urged political leaders to approach the consultations with greater flexibility and a willingness to consider alternatives to their previously stated positions.

“I have already said that I hope the representatives will come with an open mind, and today I add: with an open heart,” Herzog said. “Come to listen and to be heard, to share ideas, and to find creative solutions to prevent another round of elections.”

Herzog acknowledged that politicians often adopt uncompromising positions during election campaigns but argued that the time had come to recognize the political reality created by the voters.

“As we all know, during an election campaign, candidates naturally and predictably climb to lofty positions. But the elections are over. The election results are a fact. They are a reality,” he said.

“And now is the time to call on all our leaders to stop climbing and face this reality.”

Using the metaphor of offering political leaders a way to retreat from their campaign commitments, Herzog said the President’s Residence would seek to facilitate negotiations.

“This week at the President’s Residence, we will try to put up ladders so that our leaders can come down and face this reality in a measured and careful way,” he said.