Two weeks after Israel’s fourth consecutive election, Israeli President Reuven Rivlin on Monday gave the mandate to form a new government to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Why is it important?: Netanyahu’s path to forming a coalition is very, very narrow. Although he received the presidency, Netanyahu does not currently have a majority in the Israeli Knesset that will allow him to form a new government.
Driving the news: Rivlin announced his decision after holding consultations with members of all different parties on Monday.
- During the consultations, 52 members of the Knesset recommended Netanyahu to form the government, while 45 recommended opposition leader Yair Lapid.
- Seven members of the Knesset recommended Yemina right-wing party leader Naftali Bennett, and 16 members did not recommend any candidates.
Between lines: Under Israeli law, the president must give the mandate to a member of the Knesset who has the best chance of forming a government.
- Rivlin said in a statement that his conclusion after the consultations was that neither Netanyahu nor Lapid have a majority to form a government, but that Netanyahu’s chances of success are “slightly better.”
The general picture: Israel has been embroiled in a political and legal crisis for the past two years as a result of Netanyahu’s accusations and the ongoing corruption trial.
- The fact that Netanyahu remained prime minister despite his trial has created a series of unprecedented situations that have led to a total dysfunction of the government.
- Rivlin was under public pressure not to give the mandate to Netanyahu because of his ongoing trial.
- Rivlin said he faced moral difficulty in his decision to take advantage of Netanyahu, but stressed that the law does not prohibit a Knesset member who is on trial from receiving the mandate to form a government.
That follows: Netanyahu now has 28 days to try to form a government.
- His only way to form this government is if he manages to convince the radical right-wing “religious Zionism” party, which consists of Jewish and Islamophobic supremacists, to sit together in the same coalition with the Islamic party, which is a branch of the Muslim Brotherhood Movement.
- If Netanyahu fails to form a government, the Knesset will have 21 days to try to form an alternative coalition. If that fails as well, Israel will run in the fifth election in September.