Israeli opposition leader Lapid vows to form government
Israeli President Reuven Rivlin yesterday asked opposition leader Yair Lapid to form a new government after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu failed to establish a coalition.
The decision could bring Mr Netanyahu’s lengthy time in office to an end, after four elections in two years failed to produce a clear winner or workable coalition.
“It is clear that Knesset member Yair Lapid has a chance to form a government that will earn the confidence of the Knesset, even if the difficulties are many,” Mr Rivlin said after a day of consultations with all parties elected on March 23. Mr Lapid, head of the Yesh Atid party and a former journalist, has four weeks to form a government.
“We need a government that will reflect the fact that we don’t hate one another, a government in which left, right and centre will work together to tackle the economic and security challenges we face, a government that will show that our differences are a source of strength, not weakness,” Mr Lapid said.
If he is unable to form a coalition, the task will be given to Parliament. Holding a fifth election remains an option.
Mr Lapid, who received the backing of 56 politicians yesterday, offered a power-sharing deal to Naftali Bennett, leader of the right-wing Yamina party.
Under the proposal, the men would share the role of prime minister, with Mr Bennett holding the position first. He controls seven seats in parliament, but carries the votes Mr Lapid needs for a majority.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s political future was in jeopardy yesterday, as the country’s president looked to Yair Lapid, a leading rival, to form a coalition for government.
More than two years since Israelis went to the polls to elect a new government, politicians have been unable to establish a coalition that lasted more than a few months.
The deadlock sent voters to the polls for a fourth election in March, when Mr Netanyahu emerged with the largest number of seats but lacked the broader support required to establish him as the head of a government.
After four weeks of negotiations in which the incumbent Mr Netanyahu worked to cling onto power, he acknowledged moments before a midnight deadline on Tuesday that those efforts had come to nothing.
The latest twist in Israel’s political saga prompted President Reuven Rivlin to pick an alternative candidate yesterday.
“It is clear that Knesset member Yair Lapid has a chance to form a government that will earn the confidence of the Knesset, even if the difficulties are many,” said Mr Rivlin, referring to Israeli parliament.
The presidency said six parties had recommended the centrist Yesh Atid party leader.
They include Gideon Sa’ar, who defected from the prime minister’s Likud party before the latest election and founded the New Hope party.
Mr Lapid had lost out at the last round of presidential consultations, when he was nominated by 45 legislators while 52 of them backed Mr Netanyahu.
A former television news presenter, Mr Lapid has emerged as the most prominent leader of the bloc seeking to remove Israel’s longest-serving leader, who is on trial for corruption.
But beyond their animosity towards Mr Netanyahu, parties from across the political spectrum have little in common and have so far been unable to secure a 61-seat alliance.
They are expected to woo Naftali Bennett, leader of the nationalist Yamina party who had effectively remained neutral by nominating himself.
A former protege of the prime minister, Mr Bennett this week rejected an offer by Mr Netanyahu to hold the prime minister’s role for the next year before handing over to the incumbent.
The decision to not openly back Mr Lapid still leaves the door open for Yamina’s seven legislators to join a coalition to unseat the prime minister.
If the opposition bloc fails to reach a deal within four weeks, they can request a two-week extension or the task could fall to parliament. In the latter scenario, legislators would have 21 days to build a coalition before a fifth election is called. The electorate, meanwhile, appeared to have lost confidence in their leaders’ ability to form a government.
Nearly 70 per cent believe a fifth election is on the horizon, according to an Israel Democracy Institute survey last week.
If that assessment proves accurate, Israeli polling stations will reopen by the end of this year.
President Reuven Rivlin has the task of shaping a government, but most Israelis appear resigned to another election