Herzog Sets Wednesday Consultations, Starting With Smaller Parties
President Isaac Herzog will begin consultations at 17:00 Israel time on Wednesday, November 4. The President's Residence has scheduled the smaller factions first and Likud last.
Religious Zionism-Zehut will be the first delegation through the door at the President's Residence in Jerusalem. Shas and Yisrael Beiteinu follow that evening, according to the schedule released by the residence and published by Israel Hayom on Monday. The remaining eight delegations are due on Thursday.
The announcement gives the next stage of Israel's election process a timetable. It also changes the usual order: Herzog wants to hear from the smaller factions before concluding with the largest.
Why the Smaller Parties Go First
The President's Residence said the arrangement is intended to widen the examination of possible governing combinations before the larger parties arrive. Walla reported that Herzog wants to hear alternatives that could help produce an agreement and has left open the possibility of another consultation round.
Each delegation can recommend a member of the Knesset to receive the task of forming a government. A recommendation is one stage in that process; the government itself takes office after winning the Knesset's confidence.
That leaves room for negotiations between the meetings and the eventual parliamentary vote. The president's schedule therefore fixes when parties present their positions, without fixing a coalition or a date for its installation.
Wednesday's Three Meetings
The opening meeting with Religious Zionism-Zehut is set for 17:00 on November 4. Shas is scheduled for 18:15, followed by Yisrael Beiteinu at 19:30. All times are Israel time.
The consultations take place at the President's Residence. The residence's announcement says the proceedings will be carried live on the president's official social media channels.
Thursday Ends With Likud
Thursday, November 5, begins with United Torah Judaism at 08:30. Otzma Yehudit follows at 09:45, the Democrats at 11:00 and Ra'am at 12:15.
The Joint List is scheduled for 16:45, Beyachad for 18:00 and Gadi Eisenkot's Yashar for 19:15. Likud closes the announced round at 20:30. Readers following the Joint List's rejection of Eisenkot's conditions will have separate statements to watch from those delegations.
Government Press Office cameras will cover the meetings inside the room. Israel Hayom also reported that a media area will allow delegations to deliver statements after their consultations, giving the public a second opportunity to hear their positions.
When the Government Formation Clock Starts
The Knesset's official explanation of government formation says the president assigns the task within seven days of the official publication of election results, after consulting the parliamentary factions. The selected member must agree to undertake it.
The first candidate then has 28 days. The president may grant extensions totaling no more than another 14 days. These periods begin with the assignment of the task, not with election night or the opening of the consultations.
The law also provides a route if the first attempt fails. Under Section 9 of Basic Law: The Government, the president has three days to give the task to another consenting Knesset member or notify the speaker that no government can be formed. A second candidate receives 28 days, without the first candidate's possible extension. If that stage fails, a 21 day parliamentary window allows at least 61 members to request a specified candidate in writing. That candidate must also consent. These later stages give party recommendations significance beyond the first assignment, while leaving the choice of a government to the Knesset.
If a candidate succeeds, the government must present its policy guidelines, composition and distribution of ministerial responsibilities to the Knesset and seek confidence. Under Basic Law: The Government, the installation sitting must be held within seven days of the notification to the Knesset that a government has been formed.
