Israeli President picks Netanyahu to try to form Government

Netanyahu has been  chosen by Israel's president to try to form a government.

The Israel’s president has handed Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu the difficult task of trying to form a government from the country’s splintered parliament.

The Development gives the embattled leader a chance to prolong his lengthy 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 Netanyahu is unfit to serve in light of his legal problems.

Nonetheless, Rivlin said that there was nothing in the law preventing Netanyahu from serving as prime minister. After consulting with the 13 parties in the newly elected parliament, Rivlin said that 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,” Rivlin said. But, he added, Netanyahu has a “slightly higher chance” of being able to.

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

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With that, 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.

Netanyahu now has up to six weeks to try to cobble together a coalition during his trial.

At the same time, he was tried for fraud, bribery and breach of confidence charges. He denounced the charges against him as a witch-hunt with political motives.

Now it is 28 days for the leader of the right-wing Likud Party to try and obtain sufficient support from other parliamentary parties in order to join a governing coalition and then to apply for an extension of two weeks. If Netanyahu does not, the task will go to another person.