Netanyahu coalition bid fails; political future iffy
JERUSALEM — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday failed to meet a midnight deadline to put together a new governing coalition, raising the possibility that his Likud party could be pushed into the opposition for the first time in 12 years.
The deadline closed a four-week window granted to Netanyahu by Israel’s figurehead president. The matter now bounces back to President Reuven Rivlin, who announced just after midnight that he would contact on Wednesday the 13 parties with seats in parliament to discuss “the continuation of the process of forming a government.”
Rivlin is expected in the coming days to give one of Netanyahu’s opponents a chance to form an alternative coalition government. He also could ask the parliament to select one of its own members as prime minister. If all else fails, the country would be forced into another election this fall — the fifth in just over two years.
The turmoil does not mean that Netanyahu will immediately be forced out as prime minister. But he now faces a threat to his lengthy rule. His opponents, despite ideological differences, have been holding informal talks in hopes of forging a power-sharing deal.
Rivlin gave Netanyahu the chance to form a coalition after 52 members of parliament endorsed him as prime minister last month, short of a majority. Opposition leader Yair Lapid, who received backing of 45 lawmakers, seems to be the most likely candidate to get a chance to form a government.
Naftali Bennett, head of the small religious, nationalist Yamina party, is also a possibility.
Looming over Netanyahu has been his corruption trial. Netanyahu has been charged with fraud, breach of trust and bribery in a series of scandals. The trial has moved into the witness phase, with embarrassing testimony accusing him of trading favors with a powerful media mogul. Netanyahu denies the charges.
Last week’s deadly stampede at a religious festival, in which 45 ultra-orthodox Jews were killed, only complicated his task by creating an unwelcome diversion and calls for an official investigation into possible negligence on his watch.
Despite all of Netanyahu’s vulnerabilities, it remains unclear whether his opponents can form an alternative government.
If they fail, he would remain in office until the next election.