Netanyahu to form new government in Israel, create conservative coalition

Former Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu received his official mandate on Sunday to helm a new conservative coalition, effectively guaranteeing that the country's longest-serving prime minister will take the reigns of the Israeli government once again.

Netanyahu was invited by Israeli President Isaac Herzog to form the new government, and The Jerusalem Post noted that he now has 28 days to create his coalition, something that is expected to easily occur given Netanyahu's strong backing in the Knesset, the Israeli parliament.

Netanyahu is no stranger to the prime ministership, and he will be thrust into the job for a record sixth time after previously serving from 2009 to 2021. He additionally served as prime minister from 1996 to 1999.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

"Please God, it will be a stable, successful, and responsible government of all of the people of Israel," Netanyahu said following the presidential meeting, per CNN. "We are brothers and we will live together side by side."

"Israel's citizens require a stable and functioning government," added Herzog. "A government that serves all citizens of Israel, both those who supported and voted for it and those who opposed its establishment; a government that works on behalf of and for the sake of all shades of the Israeli mosaic."

An icon of Israeli conservatism, Netanyahu's has gained majority support from multiple parties across the Knesset. The soon-to-be prime minister notably aligned himself with a number of party extremists, putting Israel in a position to have perhaps its most far-right government ever.

Correction Nov. 16, 2022: This story has been updated to correct which bloc of the Knesset has given Netanyahu majority support.