'Israeli' president condemns 'racist' anti-Arab rhetoric

• Isaac Herzog urged party leaders to make concessions and avert political gridlock after the election yielded no clear winner
• Herzog denounced "racist" attacks targeting Arab citizens, praising their societal contributions and push for integration
• The appeal comes ahead of formal talks to assign a governing mandate, with neither Netanyahu nor Eisenkot holding a majority
• The Central Elections Committee confirmed its audit of over 9,000 ballot boxes revealed no irregularities that compromised the vote

'Israeli' President Isaac Herzog called on political party leaders on Wednesday to reach a compromise and offer mutual concessions to facilitate the formation of a government, seeking to avert further political deadlock following general elections that yielded no outright victor.

Herzog also explicitly condemned recent "racist" and abusive rhetoric targeting the country's Arab community.

The 'Israeli' president's remarks came hours before initiating formal consultations with parliamentary factions to assign the mandate for building a new coalition.

The legislative election held on October 27 left neither outgoing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu nor his principal challenger, Gadi Eisenkot, with a decisive parliamentary majority.

Although the presidency in 'Israel' is largely ceremonial, Herzog holds the constitutional authority to nominate the candidate tasked with assembling a governing coalition, a process that can take weeks or months and risks failure, which would prompt another round of elections.

Noting that neither political bloc achieved a working majority in the Knesset, Herzog stressed that party leaders must recognize that "not all commitments and promises can be fulfilled" in order to prevent dragging the public back to the ballot box.

"Under the current reality, and in the absence of a clear winner in the elections, I call for authenticity, creative thinking, courage, the presumption of good faith, and a spirit of flexibility and understanding, so that the State of Israel emerges victorious," Herzog said upon formally receiving the certified results.

During the campaign and on voting day, Netanyahu repeatedly targeted predominantly Arab candidate lists whose backing could prove decisive in propelling Eisenkot to office.

On election day, Netanyahu announced that three senior officials from the United Arab List had been arrested in the south allegedly carrying cash envelopes.

The Central Elections Committee described the incident as "unusual" while noting that the arrests took place before the individuals reached polling stations.

Right-wing figures had also leveled accusations alleging that Arab parties received funding from Qatar, and Turkey.

Herzog pushed back directly against the hostile political discourse, voicing appreciation for Arab citizens.

"I have great respect for the Arab community in Israel, and I value its contribution to the state across various fields of life, as well as its desire to integrate into society. This is something to be welcomed and appreciated," he said.

"I condemn the crude rhetoric and racist expressions we have heard recently; there is no place for such statements toward any community in Israel," Herzog added.

Meanwhile, the Central Elections Committee announced that its extensive examination had confirmed the integrity of the vote.

"The audit is complete. We reviewed all complaints submitted by political factions, and we found nothing indicating any compromise of election integrity," the committee said in a statement.

Officials stated that all party and public appeals were scrutinized, with election workers auditing more than 9,000 ballot boxes, an unprecedented review scale.

Presenting the final certified tally to Herzog, Central Elections Committee Chairman Justice Noam Sohlberg stated that while authorities will continue looking into specific allegations, ongoing inquiries will not fundamentally alter the final certified outcome.