- Lead. Israel’s Central Elections Committee certified last week’s election result on Wednesday after examining 9,069 polling stations and finding no irregularities, clearing the way for President Isaac Herzog to begin formal government consultations.
- Fact. Five opposition leaders — Gadi Eisenkot, Yair Golan, Naftali Bennett, Avigdor Liberman, and Yair Lapid — announced they would open coalition talks, while outgoing Prime Minister Netanyahu warned they would form a “dangerous government.”
- Stake. Within hours, President Trump said the US will end approximately $4 billion in annual military aid to Israel by the close of 2026, in a move that surprised Israel’s political establishment and may complicate whatever government emerges.
The certification came over Likud’s objection. Committee chair Justice Noam Sohlberg rejected a last-minute bid from Netanyahu’s party to pause the process pending an external interference probe, ruling it had no legal basis. The results now pass to President Isaac Herzog, who must begin consultations with parliamentary faction heads on who should be invited to form the next government, a process that can run for weeks.
Opposition Bloc Forms Quickly
The deadlocked result — in which neither the pro-Netanyahu nor anti-Netanyahu bloc secured a parliamentary majority — has opened an unusual opportunity for a broad opposition coalition. Eisenkot, the former IDF chief of staff and current National Unity leader, convened a meeting Wednesday with Golan of Meretz, former prime minister Bennett, Liberman of Yisrael Beiteinu, and Lapid of Yesh Atid. All five agreed to begin formal coalition talks, though no agreement has been reached and the route to 61 seats remains far from obvious, given the parties’ differing positions on economic and religious policy.
The certification process itself was not without tension. Shin Bet director David Zini sought to question four Arab politicians in connection with an alleged foreign interference probe, but Israel’s attorney general publicly accused him of providing supporting evidence for only one of the four individuals, characterising the broader request as an attempt to subvert the rule of law. A separate vote-buying case linked to the Islamist Ra’am party saw one suspect released from house arrest while another remained detained.
Trump’s Aid Announcement Lands Mid-Negotiation
Speaking to reporters Tuesday, Trump announced that the United States intends to end roughly $4 billion in annual military aid to Israel by the end of 2026. Trump said he had reached an understanding with Netanyahu and that Israel “doesn’t need” the funds, though he added Israel could still purchase American weapons through normal commercial channels. CNN and multiple other outlets noted that Congress, not the president, controls appropriations, and an Atlantic Council analyst said the cutoff is unlikely to materialise on Trump’s stated timeline without legislative action.
The announcement caught senior Israeli figures off guard. Eisenkot, in his first public comment after the opposition meeting, called for Netanyahu to explain the terms of whatever understanding was struck with Washington, saying it was inconceivable that an outgoing prime minister would agree to such terms without consulting party leaders. Critics across the political spectrum called the timing — midway through a contested election certification — deeply irregular.
What Comes Next
President Herzog is expected to begin formal consultations with faction leaders within days. Under Israeli law, the official tasked with forming a government has 28 days to do so, with a possible 14-day extension. If the mandate holder fails, the president can assign it to a second candidate, and if that also fails, the Knesset can nominate its own candidate or trigger another election.
The convergence of a Shin Bet dispute, a vote-buying case, a surprised opposition, and an unexpected American policy shift in a single day gives all sides reason to move quickly — and carefully.