JERUSALEM (AP) – Israel’s president on Tuesday handed Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu the difficult task of trying to form a government from the country’s fragmented parliament, giving the battered leader the chance to extend his long term during the trial. on corruption charges.
In his announcement, President Reuven Rivlin acknowledged that no party leader had the necessary support to form a majority coalition in the 120-seat Knesset. He also noted that many believe that Netanyahu is not fit to serve due to his legal problems.
However, Rivlin said that there is nothing in the law that would prevent Netanyahu from serving as prime minister. After consulting the 13 parties in the newly elected parliament, Rivlin said that Netanyahu had the best chance of any candidate to form a new government.
“No candidate has a realistic chance of forming a government that is trusted by the Knesset,” said Rivlin. But, he added, Netanyahu has a “slightly better chance” of being able.
“I decided to entrust the task to him,” said Rivlin of Jerusalem. Netanyahu now has up to six weeks to try to form a coalition during his trial.
The decision carried on twin dramas about the country’s future and Netanyahu’s fate, giving the oldest Israeli Prime Minister a new chance to try to save his career.
The court’s decision can take months or even years. The proceedings are expected to take place up to three days a week, an embarrassing and lengthy distraction that will obscure Netanyahu’s pleas to his rivals.
Netanyahu has the most support – 52 seats – in Israel’s Knesset. But that still lacks a 61-seat majority. He is likely to use his powers of persuasion to try to attract a number of opponents, including several close aides who have vowed never to serve under him again, with generous offers from powerful government ministries or legislative committees.
Parties representing 45 members supported Yair Lapid, while Yamina, with seven seats, named her own leader, Naftali Bennett. Three parties with a total of 16 seats did not make recommendations.
Rivlin’s decision mixes questions about Netanyahu’s legal and political future in what is perhaps the most severe political challenge of his career.
In court, he faces charges of fraud, breach of trust and bribery in three separate cases. The process was resumed on Tuesday, although the premier was not due to appear in court.
A key witness on Monday described Netanyahu as an image-obsessed leader who forced a prominent news site to help his family and defame his opponents.
Netanyahu denies all charges and, in a speech broadcast on national television, accused prosecutors of harassing him in an attempt to expel him from office.
“This is what a coup attempt looks like,” he said.
Monday’s court session focused on the most serious case against Netanyahu – in which he is accused of promoting regulations that have generated hundreds of millions of dollars in profits for telecoms company Bezeq in exchange for positive coverage on the popular news site of the company, Walla.
Ilan Yeshua, Walla’s former editor-in-chief, described a system in which Bezeq’s owners, Shaul and Iris Elovitch, repeatedly pressured him to publish favorable things about Netanyahu and defame the prime minister’s rivals.
The explanation that the couple gave? “This is what the prime minister wanted,” he said.
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Kellman reported from Tel Aviv, Israel.
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