Herzog urges unity after vote

Israel just finished voting for its 26th Knesset. President Isaac Herzog told political leaders on Wednesday to keep an open mind as they begin coalition negotiations.

He warned that the country must do everything possible to avoid another round of elections. Herzog said he expects everyone visiting the President's Residence to arrive with that mindset.

"We must do everything, certainly after yesterday, to avoid another round of elections," Herzog said. He noted that he made this request even before the vote took place.

This is not the first time a president has tried to break a political deadlock. In 2019, Reuven Rivlin lobbied Benjamin Netanyahu and Benny Gantz to form a unity government after the 22nd Knesset election. Rivlin proposed an equal government structure and changes to acting prime minister rules to fix the impasse.

Isaac Herzog's father, Chaim Herzog, did something similar in 1984. As the country's sixth president, he advocated for a unity government between the Alignment party and Likud. He wrote that he tried to bring different elements together to stop a dangerous split from forming.

When that deadlock persisted, Chaim Herzog granted Shimon Peres more time to form a government. He later acted to establish a small negotiating team with representatives from Likud and the Labor Party. Days later, Peres and Yitzhak Shamir presented a unity government based on a rotation agreement.