Israel's unassuming President Herzog holds keys to next government

Israel's President Isaac Herzog is known for his unassuming and mild manner, but all eyes will be on him as he decides whom to task with forming the next coalition government. The decision is a weighty one as neither the camp of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu nor that of his rival Gadi Eisenkot secured a majority in parliament. Herzog starts consultations on Wednesday with party representatives as he decides on a candidate who has the best chance of forming a government -- not necessarily the one whose party holds the most seats. Under the law, the president, whose position is otherwise largely ceremonial, is afforded broad discretion, with no guidelines on how to make the choice. Herzog has called for all efforts to be made to avoid a new election. "I expect everyone who comes here to come with an open mind," he said shortly after the election. Ahead of the October 27 vote, Herzog acknowledged there would be tremendous pressure, but vowed not to let outside influence, notably from US President Donald Trump, sway his decision. "I don't think the president of the United States or anybody else can intervene in my discretion," he told US outlet MS Now. "It's Israel's democracy and Israel's constitution, and that's what counts for me." Herzog told MS Now he would do everything he could to avoid a fresh election -- a possibility if neither camp can cobble together a coalition -- including backing a unity government between Netanyahu and Eisenkot. - 'Worthy and wonderful man' - Modest, diplomatic and with a strong political pedigree, 66-year-old Herzog was sworn in as Israel's president in 2021 after being elected by lawmakers in a landslide. Yair Lapid, now a member of Eisenkot's broad opposition bloc, praised Herzog at the time as "a worthy and wonderful man who is always focused on the good of the country and the Jewish people". As president, Herzog has faced pressure from Trump to grant Netanyahu a pardon in his long-running corruption trials, which could land him in prison if he loses power. In April, Herzog invited Netanyahu's lawyers and prosecutors to his residence for talks on the issue. Before he served as head of state, Herzog was elected to Israel's parliament in 2003 and held portfolios including housing, tourism and welfare. In 2015, as leader of Israel's centre-left Labour party, Herzog vied to oust Netanyahu as prime minister, presenting himself as a subdued, even-keeled alternative to the bombastic "Bibi". Netanyahu, now 77, is Israel's longest-serving prime minister, having governed on-and-off for nearly two decades. The election was seen as a referendum on the veteran leader's tenure after he pushed the country sharply to the right and unleashed a wave of wars in response to Hamas's October 7, 2023 attack. - 'Bring real change' - Herzog told AFP in an interview in March that the ongoing US-Israeli war with Iran marked a "historical juncture". "There comes a moment that after well over a generation of endless wars, bloodshed and terror, the root cause of it, which comes from Tehran, will be blocked and stopped, and the whole direction of the region will change," he said. "Let's help us bring a real change so that there will be a different future in the region." He also stressed the importance of talks with Lebanon, with the two sides sitting down the following month for direct negotiations that are still ongoing. Herzog's Irish-born father, Chaim Herzog, served as head of Israel's military intelligence, then went on to become its ambassador to the United Nations and finally its sixth president, from 1983 to 1993. Herzog's grandfather and namesake -- Rabbi Yitzhak (Isaac) HaLevi Herzog -- was the first chief rabbi for Israel's Ashkenazis, the branch of Judaism whose roots are in eastern Europe. At the helm of the Labour party, Herzog worked to steer its focus back to peace with the Palestinians. He answers to the nickname "Bougie" -- reportedly given to him by his Egyptian-born mother, who mixed the French word for doll "poupee" with its Hebrew equivalent "buba". bur-acc/sct/rh/cms