Race to form government

ISRAEL’S president yesterday chose Yair Lapid, a centrist politician and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s strongest rival, to try to form a new government.

Israel’s longest serving leader, Netanyahu, 71, has been fighting to hold on to office through four inconclusive elections since 2019 and corruption allegations that he denies.

President Reuven Rivlin said the former finance minister had the pledged support of 56 of parliament’s 120 members, still short of a majority.

Lapid, who heads the Yesh Atid party, said he aimed to establish a government of the left, right and centre “that will reflect the fact that we don’t hate one another”. But Lapid, 57, has ruled out serving in a government with Netanyahu, citing the criminal indictment against the prime minister.

Netanyahu appealed to ultranationalist Naftali Bennett to join him and form a “solid right-wing bloc” controlling 59 seats in parliament, a number still short of a majority. An embrace by Bennett, of the Yamina party, would persuade other right-wing legislators pledged to Lapid cross back, Netanyahu said, adding that a Lapid-led coalition “will be a dangerous”.

The most recent vote on March 23 yielded no majority for the incumbent or for a loose alliance of rivals aiming to topple him. A 28-day mandate to put together a coalition ran out after Netanyahu failed to agree terms with potential right-wing partners, opening the way for Rivlin to assign the task to another MP. Lapid has also 28 days to form a coalition.