Israeli President Wants to Order Netanyahu Form a Government Rescue Ship “Ocean Viking” Arrived in Toulon in Southern France

Israeli President Izchak Herzog plans to appoint former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday to form a new government.

Herzog will give the mandate to the leader of the right-wing conservative Likud party, his spokesman announced Friday after three days of consultations with representatives of all parties. A meeting between Herzog and Netanyahu is scheduled for Sunday (11:00am CET).

The 73-year-old will then have four weeks to form a government. However, he aims to forge the coalition much earlier. Negotiations with its potential coalition partners, including the far-right alliance of Bezalel Smotrich and Itamar Ben-Gvir, are already underway. Your Religious Zionist Party wants to make sweeping changes, including a weakening of the judiciary. According to media reports, there could be a government as early as next week. The new parliament will be sworn in on Tuesday.

Netanyahu’s right-wing religious camp won 64 of the 120 seats in the November 1 election. It was Israel’s fifth election in three and a half years. Incumbent Prime Minister Jair Lapid’s liberal Future Party came second after Netanyahu’s Likud party. The Religious Zionist Party came in third.

It would be Netanyahu’s second comeback as prime minister. In the history of Israel no one has held office longer than he. The right-wing conservative politician was prime minister from 1996 to 1999, then again continuously from 2009 to 2021. With his replacement by the current government last year, the Netanyahu era was initially considered over. However, the eight-party coalition collapsed in June due to internal disputes. (sda/dpa)