❗️️️️️️️Israeli President Herzog receives official Israeli election results as Eisenkot leads recommendations to form next government Israeli President Isaac Herzog received the official results of the 26th Knesset elections on Wednesday, 4 November, paving the way for consultations to determine who will be tasked with forming the next government. According to Ynet and The Jerusalem Post, the Central Elections Committee approved the results after finding no evidence of irregularities or compromised election integrity, despite claims by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud party that the election had been stolen. The results leave Israel facing a political deadlock, with Netanyahu’s bloc securing 53 seats, the opposition bloc winning 48, and Palestinian parties Ra’am and the Joint List securing a combined 19 seats, according to The Jerusalem Post. Yashar! leader Gadi Eisenkot is currently expected to receive 48 recommendations from Yashar!, Naftali Bennett’s Yachad, the Democrats, and Yisrael Beytenu, compared with 46 for Netanyahu from Likud, Otzma Yehudit, Shas, and Religious Zionism, according to Ynet. The Arab parties and United Torah Judaism have yet to announce their recommendations, leaving the outcome uncertain. The approval process unfolded amid controversy over allegations of foreign interference. Israel’s Shin Bet intelligence agency presented claims of extensive foreign financing and influence operations involving large sums of money, but provided no supporting evidence, according to Ynet. The allegations followed Shin Bet chief David Zini’s request to investigate Palestinian lawmakers Mansour Abbas and Ahmad Tibi without presenting evidence, prompting Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara to warn that elected officials cannot be investigated without sufficient justification. Herzog is scheduled to consult parliamentary factions on Wednesday and Thursday before deciding which candidate has the strongest prospects of forming a government. While Eisenkot could potentially secure broader backing if Palestinian parties recommend him, Netanyahu retains the larger parliamentary bloc. Possible outcomes include a coalition agreement, a unity government, a minority government, or another election if negotiations fail.