Israel president urges compromise after divisive election

Israel's president on Wednesday urged political leaders to compromise in forming a government after an election he said had no clear winner and condemned "racist" rhetoric against Arab parties. More than a week after Israel's first election since the trauma of the October 7, 2023 attacks by Hamas, President Isaac Herzog was beginning consultations with party leaders as he decides whether to give Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu or his rival Gadi Eisenkot the first chance to form a government in the deeply polarised country.