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Friday, 27 March 2015 00:00 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (L) shakes hands with President Reuven Rivlin during a ceremony in Jerusalem –REUTERS
Reuters: Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, grappling with fierce White House disapproval, won consent from Israel’s president on Wednesday to try to form a new coalition government.
The surprise victor of a 17 March election, Netanyahu looks well set to assemble a heavily right-leaning cabinet that will control 67 of parliament’s 120 seats – a large majority in a country where no one party has ever been able to rule by itself.
President Reuven Rivlin had some uncharacteristic criticism of Netanyahu as he went through the formality of handing him a mandate to establish a new government, having verified with party leaders that a majority supported him.
He said Netanyahu faced some “critical tasks,” and the first among them was “improving relations with the United States.”
Rivlin also criticised Netanyahu’s election day jibe that Arab-Israeli voters were being bussed to the polls “in droves”.
“How awful would it be, if the democratic duty to vote were be seen as a curse? One who is afraid of votes in a ballot box will eventually see stones thrown in the streets,” Rivlin said.
Netanyahu, accepting the mandate that gives him six weeks to form a new coalition, said he sought peace with the Palestinians and pledged his new government would safeguard democratic rights for Israelis “regardless of race, religion or gender”, as well as taking steps to cut living costs.
Two far-right parties – Jewish Home, which won eight seats, and Yisrael Beitenu, with six – have pledged their support for Netanyahu in consultations with Rivlin.
In addition, centrist Kulanu, with 10 seats, ultra-Orthodox Shas, with seven, and United Torah Judaism, with six, have also backed Netanyahu, whose Likud has 30 legislators of its own.
