Netanyahu tasked with forming new government amid trial 

Israel’s president yesterday handed Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu the difficult task of trying to form a government from the country’s splintered parliament, giving the embattled leader a chance to prolong his term in office while on trial for 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 Mr Netanyahu is unfit to serve in light of his legal problems.

Nonetheless, Mr Rivlin said that there was nothing in the law preventing Mr Netanyahu from serving as prime minister. After consulting with the 13 parties in the newly elected parliament, Mr Rivlin said Mr Netanyahu had the best chance of any candidate of forming a new government.

“No candidate has a realistic chance of forming a government that will have the confidence of the Knesset,” Mr Rivlin said. But, he added, Netanyahu has a “slightly higher chance” of being able to.

“I have decided to entrust him with the task,” Mr Rivlin said. He added that the choice was “not an easy decision on a moral and ethical basis”.

With that, Mr Rivlin nudged forward the twin dramas over the country’s future and Netanyahu’s fate, giving Israel’s longest-serving premier a fresh chance to try to salvage his career. Mr Netanyahu now has up to six weeks to try to cobble together a coalition during his trial.

Early reactions from the premier’s sworn rivals highlighted the difficult road ahead.

Yair Lapid, leader of the party that won the second-highest number of seats, acknowledged that the law left Mr Rivlin “no choice,” but in the same tweet denounced the development as “a shameful disgrace that tarnishes Israel.”

A court ruling could be months or years away. The proceedings are expected to take place up to three days a week, an embarrassing distraction that will shadow Mr Netanyahu’s appeals to his rivals.

Mr Netanyahu holds the most support – 52 seats – in the Knesset. But that is still short of a 61-seat majority. He is likely to use his powers of persuasion to try to lure a number of opponents, including a number of former close aides who have vowed never to serve under him again, with generous offers of powerful government ministries or legislative committees.

Parties representing 45 members supported Yair Lapid, while Yamina, with seven seats, nominated its leader, Naftali Bennett. Three parties holding a total of 16 seats made no recommendation.

Mr Rivlin’s decision merges questions of Mr Netanyahu’s legal and political future in what’s perhaps the starkest political challenge of his career.

In court, he faces fraud, breach of trust and bribery charges in three separate cases. Proceedings resumed yesterday.

A key witness on Monday cast Mr Netanyahu (71) as an image-obsessed leader who forced a prominent news site to help his family and smear his opponents.

The former editor of a website Walla said the site’s owners repeatedly pressured him to publish favourable things about Mr Netanyahu and smear the PM’s rivals. 

Mr Netanyahu denies all charges and in a televised address accused prosecutors of persecuting him in an effort to drive him out of office.

Online Editors