The unusual demand from Herzog that may complicate the Arab parties' recommendation

Minister Yitzhak Wasserlauf demanded that President Isaac Herzog require faction representatives to declare Hamas a terrorist organization as a condition for recommending a candidate to form the government. Herzog rejected claims about election integrity and called to wait for an investigation.

Minister Yitzhak Wasserlauf (Otzma Yehudit) demanded that President Isaac Herzog require faction representatives arriving to recommend a candidate for forming the government to declare Hamas a terrorist organization. The demand was raised during the consultation round at the President's Residence in Jerusalem, after Otzma Yehudit recommended Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Wasserlauf told the president that "many have no faith in the election results because some of them were bought with money for lists that do not recognize Hamas as a terrorist organization." Herzog rejected the claims regarding election integrity, clarifying that there is no evidence supporting them, and that the findings of the investigation should be awaited. The president called for establishing a team of legal experts to investigate the matter. The article describes the unusual demand that may complicate the Arab parties' recommendation.