Israel's president, Isaac Herzog, formally recognised last week's certified parliamentary election results as legally binding on Wednesday and began consultations with parties on who should be asked to form a government, PBS NewsHour reports, citing the Associated Press. The step is a setback for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, whose bloc lost its majority in the Knesset while Arab-led parties made record gains.
Netanyahu and his supporters have made unsupported claims that the election was stolen. Israel's election commission said earlier on Wednesday that it had found no irregularities that affected the outcome. Herzog said the elections were over and it was time to face reality. The consultations could lead to Netanyahu's opponents being given the chance to form a government. A separate Shin Bet investigation into alleged foreign interference in the election is still under way, and its findings have not been made public.
Source: PBS NewsHour
