Two weeks after Israel’s fourth consecutive election, Israeli President Reuven Rivlin on Monday gave Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu the mandate to form a new government.
Why does it matter: Netanyahu’s path to forming a coalition is very, very narrow. Although he received the mandate from the president, Netanyahu does not currently have a majority in the Israeli Knesset that would allow him to form a new government.
Driving the news: Rivlin announced his decision after consulting with members of all different parties on Monday.
- During consultations, 52 Knesset members recommended Netanyahu to form the government, while 45 recommended opposition leader Yair Lapid.
- Seven members of the Knesset recommended the leader of the right-wing Yemina party, Naftali Bennett, and 16 members did not recommend any candidates.
Between the lines: Under Israeli law, the president must mandate 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 big picture: Israel has been plunged into 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 remains prime minister, despite his trial, created a series of unprecedented situations that led to total government malfunction.
- Rivlin was under public pressure not to give Netanyahu a mandate due to his ongoing trial.
- Rivlin said he faced a moral hardship in his decision to turn to Netanyahu, but emphasized that the law does not prohibit a member of the Knesset who is being tried to receive a mandate to form a government.
What is the next: Netanyahu now has 28 days to try to form a government.
- His only way to form such a government is if he succeeds in convincing the radical right-wing party “Religious Zionism”, which consists of Jewish and Islamophobic supremacists, to meet 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 also fails, Israel will run for a fifth election in September.