Israel’s president Isaac Herzog opens government talks after a divisive election, saying neither side won and urging compromise to avoid new elections.

JERUSALEM: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday doubled down on accusations of foreign interference in last week’s election, despite calls for compromise from the president.

More than a week after Israel’s first election since the October 7, 2023 Hamas attacks, President Isaac Herzog began meeting party leaders to decide whether to give Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu or his rival Gadi Eisenkot the first chance to form a government in the deeply polarised country.

Eisenkot, who won the endorsement of a major Arab party, vowed to “deepen” the US-Israel partnership across bipartisan lines and to work with President Donald Trump to stabilise the region if selected as prime minister.