Israel’s President Reuven Rivlin has named Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as the party leader to try to cobble together a governing majority.
Rivlin’s announcement in Jerusalem on Tuesday nudged forward the twin dramas over the country’s future and Netanyahu’s fate as his corruption trial resumed across town.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is back in court for his corruption trial as the country's political parties were set to weigh in on whether he should form the next government after a closely divided election or step down. https://t.co/jyMEy32ABg
— The Associated Press (@AP) April 5, 2021
The charges facing Israel’s longest-serving premier posed an extraordinary choice for the country’s president over whether “morality” should be a factor in who should lead the government.
The March 23 election revolved around whether Netanyahu is fit to continue serving. His Likud party won the most seats, but no party won a governing majority of 61 seats in the Knesset. That handed to Rivlin the task of deciding who has the best chance of cobbling together a coalition.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s corruption trial swings into high gear https://t.co/7lqUhCzliF
— Bloomberg (@business) April 5, 2021
Netanyahu denies all charges and says prosecutors are trying to undermine the voters intent and oust him from office.
This article has been adapted from its original source.
