Israeli president picks Netanyahu to try to form government

In this file photo taken on March 24, 2021, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, leader of the Likud party, addresses supporters. (AFP)

Israeli President Reuven Rivlin at his residence in Jerusalem, Monday, April 5, 2021.

JERUSALEM: Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu got a new lease on his political life on Tuesday, receiving a mandate from Israel's president to form a new government after an inconclusive election.
Israel's longest-serving leader, in power consecutively since 2009, now faces the tough task of breaking an unprecedented political stalemate and enlisting enough allies for a governing coalition.
Under law, Netanyahu will have 28 days to do so, with the possibility of a two-week extension before President Reuven Rivlin picks another candidate or asks parliament to choose one.
Israel's election on March 23, its fourth in two years, ended with neither a Netanyahu-led right-wing and religious bloc nor a prospective alliance of his opponents winning a parliamentary majority.
But in consultations Rivlin held with political parties on Monday on granting the coalition-building mandate, Netanyahu received more endorsements than his challengers, leading to the president's televised announcement giving him the nod.