Herzog was addressing the political deadlock following an election in which Prime Minister Benjamin Netanayhu's bloc and the bloc seeking to oust him both fell short of a 61-seat Knesset majority.
Netanyahu’s bloc won 53 seats, while the opposition bloc won 48. The two Arab parties, the Joint List and Ra’am, won a combined 19 seats, a record high that will complicate the political balance in the Knesset.
A senior Joint List official said the two Arab parties are expected to nominate Gadi Eisenkot, leader of the Yashar party and a key opposition figure, as their candidate for prime minister. If he is backed by all 19 Arab lawmakers and the 48 members of the opposition bloc, Eisenkot could secure 67 recommendations, strengthening his chances of being tasked with forming a government.
