Netanyahu Wins First Shot at Forming Government Coalition

Israeli President Reuven Rivlin on Tuesday announced his decision to select Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu to form the nation’s next government, following last month’s general elections. Rivlin noted that the fact Netanyahu is facing criminal charges of bribery, fraud and breach of trust in court did not escape him, and that “moral, value-related considerations were taken into account” before deciding whom to nominate. Yet the fact that more lawmakers recommended the incumbent than any other candidate ultimately tipped the scales. Netanyahu will now have one month to form, present and swear in his government, a tall order considering he has far from the required 61 supporters in the 120-member parliament. Failing that, the president can then either name a second candidate or pass the decision on to the parliament itself, a move that will most likely lead to Israel’s fifth election in some two and a half years.