Full Breakdown
President Isaac Herzog’s Push to Avert a Repeat Election and Mediate Israel’s Political Deadlock
By Drooid · · How we work
Herzog’s Efforts to Prevent a New Election
President Isaac Herzog told reporters on Wednesday that he will use the “broad discretion” of the presidency to keep Israel from returning to the polls if the September 2026 election yields no clear governing majority. He called a repeat election a “last resort” and warned that the country’s “day of disaster” followed five consecutive elections between 2019 and 2022. “I will do everything so that there will not be repeat elections, and that a stable government will be established in Israel.” — Isaac Herzog
Presidential Mediation in Past Deadlocks
Herzog’s approach draws on two recent precedents. In 2019, President Reuven Rivlin convened Benjamin Netanyahu and Benny Gantz to negotiate a unity government, proposing an equal-share arrangement and changes to the acting-prime-minister rules. Earlier, President Chaim Herzog (the current president’s father) intervened after the 1984 elections, creating a small negotiating team that led to a Likud-Labor rotation government. These cases show how the President’s Residence can serve as a venue for informal talks when the Knesset’s formal mechanisms stall.
Official Positions on the Trial, Inquiry, and Coalition Building
Netanyahu has not responded. “I am still keeping the door open because I believe it is important to resolve this case,” — Isaac Herzog.
Herzog also reaffirmed support for establishing a state commission of inquiry into the failures surrounding the October 7 attack, while declining to investigate rumors that United Arab Emirates President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan had warned Israel. “He did not warn me about the possibility of war or a terrorist attack,” — Isaac Herzog. “I do not intend to be the one to investigate that,” — Isaac Herzog.
Verbatim Quotes
- “I will do everything so that there will not be repeat elections, and that a stable government will be established in Israel.” — Isaac Herzog
- “He did not warn me about the possibility of war or a terrorist attack,” — Isaac Herzog
- “I do not intend to be the one to investigate that,” — Isaac Herzog
- “If I see that there is a tie or a deadlock, I am very much opposed to the possibility of repeat elections,” — Isaac Herzog
- “We reached 2023 and our day of disaster after five election campaigns,” — Isaac Herzog
- “I am still keeping the door open because I believe it is important to resolve this case,” — Isaac Herzog
Anticipated Political Path
Herzog indicated that, after the election, he will examine the results and consult party representatives to assign the mandate to form a government, as required by law. He urged voters to deliver a decisive outcome and signaled that any coalition-building effort will need to address both the criminal trial and the proposed commission of inquiry before a stable administration can take shape.