Netanyahu will get the first crack at forming a government in Israel after indecisive election

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is getting another shot.

Netanyahu now has 28 days to try to put together a coalition government after Israeli President Reuven Rivlin chose him over his chief opponent Benny Gantz, The New York Times reports. Netanyahu earned one more seat than Gantz in the country's parliamentary elections earlier this month, but neither was able to secure a majority government, leaving Rivlin to decide who would get the first opportunity to do so.

Netanyahu currently holds 55 seats in parliament, but needs at least six more to form a government. Avigdor Liberman, whose nationalist party won eight seats, will presumably play the role of kingmaker. Liberman has advocated for a unity government led by Netanyahu's conservative Likud party and Gantz's centrist Blue and White party, though he has also made it clear he won't support one if Netanyahu's ultra-Orthodox coalition partners remain involved. Gantz has also agreed to a unity government, in principle, but won't join while Netanyahu faces indictment over corruption charges, and like Liberman, he has also said he wants to form a coalition excluding ultra-Orthodox parties.

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In short, Netanyahu faces an uphill battle as he tries to form a government for the second time this year and remain in power. If Netanyahu is unable to form a government, as was the case when he attempted to do the same thing in April, the task will then pass to Gantz. Read more at The New York Times.