Moshe Feiglin and Bezalel Smotrich will meet President Isaac Herzog separately rather than together, Amit Segal reported. Their joint Religious Zionism–Zehut list is still the first faction on the president's coalition consultations schedule, which opens on Wednesday, November 4, at 5 p.m.
Joint list, separate rooms
Feiglin, Smotrich to Meet Herzog Separately
Moshe Feiglin and Bezalel Smotrich will hold separate meetings with President Isaac Herzog, although their joint Religious Zionism–Zehut list is the first faction on the consultations schedule.
The talks at the President's Residence in Jerusalem follow last week's inconclusive Knesset elections. Herzog will hear each faction's recommendation for who should form the next government. He will then give the mandate to one member of Knesset.
The full schedule is:
On Wednesday, Shas follows at 6:15 p.m. and Avigdor Lieberman's Yisrael Beiteinu at 7:30 p.m.
On Thursday, United Torah Judaism opens at 8:30 a.m. It is followed by Itamar Ben-Gvir's Otzma Yehudit at 9:45 a.m., the Democrats at 11:00 a.m. and Ra'am at 12:15 p.m.
In the afternoon come the Joint List at 4:45 p.m., Naftali Bennett's Beyachad at 6:00 p.m. and Gadi Eisenkot's Yashar at 7:15 p.m.
Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu's Likud closes the round at 8:30 p.m.
Herzog has reversed the usual order and will begin with the smaller parties. The President's Office said the change is meant to allow a broader look at coalition options before he meets the larger factions. The office added that he has left open the possibility of an additional round of consultations.
Eisenkot is exploring a minority government with outside support from United Torah Judaism and Ra'am. UTJ has issued an official statement distancing itself from those reports.
The candidate who receives the mandate will have 28 days to build a coalition, and Herzog can extend that period by up to 14 days. If the first candidate fails, the president can give another candidate 28 days. If that attempt also fails, at least 61 members of Knesset have 21 days to request an alternative candidate, who then gets 14 days to form a government.
