After vote, a call for healing in Israel

President Reuven Rivlin begins process of naming someone to form a government.

JERUSALEM — Israeli President Reuven Rivlin began consultations Sunday with representatives of the country’s political parties as a prelude to naming the head of a new government, presumably incumbent Benjamin Netanyahu.

Although it is widely assumed that Netanyahu will continue as prime minister, it is up to the president to determine who will form a governing coalition. However, he has no power to dictate its composition. After meeting with the various factions, Rivlin is expected to announce his decision this week.

Before last week’s elections, Rivlin expressed a desire to see a unity government led by Netanyahu’s conservative Likud Party and the more liberal Zionist Union, headed by Isaac Herzog. But after Likud’s decisive victory at the polls, Netanyahu brushed aside that possibility.

On election day, Netanyahu prodded his supporters to counter the “masses of Arabs” converging to vote, sparking widespread controversy and leading President Obama to express concern for Israeli democracy.

The controversy lingered Sunday and echoed in Rivlin’s words.

“This is the time to begin a process of mending and healing in Israeli society,” Rivlin said, criticizing unspecified remarks by an unspecified “senior Israeli official,” which was widely taken to be Netanyahu.

Forming a government could take as long as six weeks. The most obvious coalition would be one that centers on Likud and includes all members of the right-wing bloc and one centrist party, offering a comfortable but not huge majority of 67 in the 120-seat parliament.

Likud officials have indicated the party wishes to keep the main power positions of the Defense and Foreign ministries, and control other ministries vital to carrying out economic policy and reforms promised to the public.