TEL AVIV. President Reuven Rivlin has entrusted the task of forming the next government to Prime Minister Benyamin Netanyahu. According to the indications of the parties, Netanyahu has 52 seats to his credit while Yair Lapid, leader of the opposition, has 45. Netanyahu will have 28 days to reach the majority of 61 seats out of 120 in the Knesset, plus a possible extension of 2 weeks.
Rivlin stressed that “the president of Israel is not a substitute for the legislator or the judiciary. It is for the Knesset to decide on the substantive and ethical question of the suitability of an indicted candidate to serve as prime minister. ‘ “I fear for my country, but I must do – he explained – what is asked of me as president of the state, based on the law and the decisions of the Supreme Court, and carry out the will of the sovereign people of Israel”. The president then said he was pessimistic about the possibility of arriving at the formation of a new government. “The results of the consultations – he added – lead me to believe that no candidate has a real chance of forming a government that has the confidence of the Knesset”.
“The entrusting of Benyamin Netanyahu with the task of forming the new government is a shame that represents a stain for the State of Israel”: the leader of the centrist party Yesh Atid, Yair Lapid, said on Twitter. Lapid acknowledged that “President Reuven Rivlin did his duty and had no other choice.” But the appointment of Netanyahu, in his opinion, “projects a negative image on Israel as the rule of law.”