Israel's Netanyahu misses deadline to form government, handing opponents a shot to oust him
Israeli President Reuven Rivlin gave Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu first shot at forming a coalition government after another inconclusive national election in March. Netanyahu's 28-day window closed at midnight Tuesday, and Rivlin will meet Wednesday with the two opposition leaders with the best odds to replace Netanyahu as prime minister, Yair Lapid and Naftali Bennett, a former Netanyahu ally.
Lapid, whose centrist party won 17 seats in the 120-seat Knesset, or parliament, is considered the most likely to lead an anti-Netanyahu governing coalition, though he would need the support of Bennett, whose religious, nationalist Yamina party won seven seats. There have been inconclusive talks to form a government where the two men rotate as prime minister. Bennett "would serve first in an effort to placate right-wing Likud voters and draw additional right-wingers to join their government," The Wall Street Journal reports.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
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.
Netanyahu, Israel's longest-serving leader, cast far and wide in trying to form a government, including offering Bennett first rotation as prime minister in a power-sharing deal. But Bennett rebuffed his offer Monday and the right-wing parties in his fold refused to form a government with an Arab party Netanyahu needed to push him over 60 seats. He has also burned a lot of bridges. "A critical mass has been reached," political analyst Ben Caspit wrote in the Maariv newspaper. "Nobody believes a single word he says; there isn't a single sap in the entire political establishment who will agree to any arrangement with him. He is going to need a miracle to create a new rabbit."
-
Political cartoons for February 16Cartoons Monday’s political cartoons include President's Day, a valentine from the Epstein files, and more
-
Regent Hong Kong: a tranquil haven with a prime waterfront spotThe Week Recommends The trendy hotel recently underwent an extensive two-year revamp
-
The problem with diagnosing profound autismThe Explainer Experts are reconsidering the idea of autism as a spectrum, which could impact diagnoses and policy making for the condition
-
Key Bangladesh election returns old guard to powerSpeed Read The Bangladesh Nationalist Party claimed a decisive victory
-
Epstein files topple law CEO, roil UK governmentSpeed Read Peter Mandelson, Britain’s former ambassador to the US, is caught up in the scandal
-
Iran and US prepare to meet after skirmishesSpeed Read The incident comes amid heightened tensions in the Middle East
-
EU and India clinch trade pact amid US tariff warSpeed Read The agreement will slash tariffs on most goods over the next decade
-
Israel retrieves final hostage’s body from GazaSpeed Read The 24-year-old police officer was killed during the initial Hamas attack
-
China’s Xi targets top general in growing purgeSpeed Read Zhang Youxia is being investigated over ‘grave violations’ of the law
-
Panama and Canada are negotiating over a crucial copper mineIn the Spotlight Panama is set to make a final decision on the mine this summer
-
Why Greenland’s natural resources are nearly impossible to mineThe Explainer The country’s natural landscape makes the task extremely difficult
