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 it matters: Netanyahu’s path to forming a coalition is very, very narrow. Although he has received the mandate from the president, Netanyahu does not currently have a majority in the Israeli Knesset that would enable him to form a new government.
Drive the news: Rivlin announced his decision after consulting with members of all the 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 the leader of the right-wing Yemina party, Naftali Bennett, and 16 members recommended no candidate.
Between the lines door: According to 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 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 embroiled in a political and legal crisis for the past two years as a result of Netanyahu’s accusations and ongoing trial for corruption.
- The fact that Netanyahu remained prime minister despite his trial created a series of unprecedented situations that led to a total dysfunction of the government.
- Rivlin was under public pressure not to give the mandate to Netanyahu due to his ongoing trial.
- Rivlin said he had a moral issue in his decision to exploit Netanyahu, but stressed that the law does not prohibit a Knesset member who is on trial from getting the mandate to form a government.
What’s next: Netanyahu now has 28 days to try to form a government.
- His only way to form such a government is if he convinces the radical right-wing party “Religious Zionism”, which consists of Jewish supremacists and Islamophobes, to sit together in the same coalition with the Islamic party – which is an offshoot of the Muslim Brotherhood movement.
- If Netanyahu does not form a government, the Knesset has 21 days to form an alternative coalition. If that also fails, Israel will go to a fifth election in September.