Israel president urges compromise after divisive election

Israel’s president on Wednesday opened talks on forming a new government with a call for compromise, saying neither side had won divisive elections, as he also condemned “racist” rhetoric against Arab parties that made sharp gains. More than a week after Israel’s first election since the October 7, 2023 Hamas attacks, President Isaac Herzog began meeting party leaders to decide whether to give Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu or his rival Gadi Eisenkot the first chance to form a government in the deeply polarised country. With neither bloc holding a majority in the 120-seat parliament after…