The second day of consultations at the President’s Residence opened Thursday with two different positions on forming the next government: Otzma Yehudit recommended Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, while United Torah Judaism announced it would not recommend any candidate. Meanwhile, the haredi draft issue and allegations of election bribery came up during the consultations.
4+Later today, two more parties are expected to arrive at the President’s Residence: representatives of the Democrats party will arrive at 11:00 AM, and representatives of Ra’am will arrive at 12:15 PM. Both parties are expected to recommend to President Isaac Herzog that he task Gadi Eisenkot with forming the next government.
United Torah Judaism: Not Recommending Any Candidate
United Torah Judaism representatives told President Isaac Herzog that, at this stage, they do not intend to recommend any candidate to form the government. Knesset members Yitzhak Pindrus and Yitzhak Goldknopf raised the issue of haredi draft during the meeting and criticized the treatment of yeshiva students.
4+Goldknopf told the president: “Torah students are persecuted; they are considered criminals.” Pindrus also addressed the issue and demanded that the next government deal with the situation of Torah students.
Otzma Yehudit: Recommendation for Netanyahu and Confrontation Over Election Integrity
Otzma Yehudit representatives told the president they recommend tasking Benjamin Netanyahu with forming the government.
4+During the consultations, Minister Yitzhak Wasserlauf demanded that every party arriving at the President’s Residence be required to declare that Hamas is a terrorist organization as a condition for recommending a candidate to form the government.
Wasserlauf also raised claims about election integrity, but President Herzog rejected the assertions and clarified that, at this stage, there is no evidence to support the suspicions. The president emphasized that the authorized bodies must complete the investigation before reaching a conclusion.
Back to Yesterday: The Parties That Arrived at the President’s Residence
Yesterday (Wednesday), the consultation round opened at the President’s Residence, with Shas, Religious Zionism, and Zehut recommending that Benjamin Netanyahu be tasked with forming the government, while Yisrael Beiteinu recommended Gadi Eisenkot. Ra’am also separately announced its support for Eisenkot, ahead of its arrival at the President’s Residence today. During the meetings, the haredi draft issue, the possibility of including Arab parties in the government, and allegations of election bribery came up.
4+Religious Zionism representatives opposed including Arab parties in the coalition, and Minister Orit Strock confronted President Herzog on the issue. Shas focused on the haredi draft issue and the status of party chairman Aryeh Deri. At the same time, Yisrael Beiteinu representatives made clear they are not willing to sit in a government with the Joint List.
Later, Zehut chairman Moshe Feiglin recommended Netanyahu but also raised claims of an attempt to skew the elections. President Herzog distanced himself from the remarks and emphasized that these are suspicions that must be investigated and examined.
4+So far, Benjamin Netanyahu has received recommendations from four parties: Shas, Religious Zionism, Zehut, and Otzma Yehudit. In contrast, Yisrael Beiteinu recommended Gadi Eisenkot, while United Torah Judaism chose not to recommend any candidate. Later today, the Democrats and Ra’am are also expected to recommend Eisenkot, as part of the continuing consultation round at the President’s Residence.