Israel’s Opposition Leader Yair Lapid will have 28 days to form a new Israeli government after President Reuven Rivlin transferred the mandate to him on Wednesday evening. Lapid got the nod a day after Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu returned the mandate, saying he was unable to muster a government coalition in the wake of Israel’s fourth election in two years.
Lapid and Yamina party head Naftali Bennett reported will enter serious talks to form a unity government made up of parties from the right, center and left-wing.
“From the number of recommendations, it is clear that Member of Knesset Yair Lapid could form a government that has the confidence of the Knesset, despite there being many difficulties,” Rivlin said on Wednesday night in a televised address announcing the nomination.
“My fellow Israelis, we have been caught in a maze – if not a political crisis – for some time now. But we must not allow these difficulties to undermine our faith that we are on the right path, and that we can continue to build the sovereignty of the Israeli people here. Whatever it takes, we will know how to come out of this stronger, unified, on the highway guided by Israeli society,” Rivlin said.