Israeli President Reuven Rivlin on Tuesday approached Benjamin Netanyahu to form a government, giving the incumbent the chance to hold on to power despite his criminal trial and the collapse of his short-lived coalition.
“I have come to a decision based on the numbers of recommendations, which indicates that Benjamin Netanyahu has a slightly higher chance of forming a government,” Mr Rivlin said in a televised announcement.
“Accordingly, I have decided to entrust him with the task of doing so,” he said, after meeting all 13 parties in parliament to seek their recommendations for the premiership.
The announcement came two weeks after Israel's latest election, its fourth in two years, which failed to produce a clear winner. It also followed Mr Netanyahu's appearance in court on corruption charges on Monday.
Israel’s political parties are largely divided over whether they support or oppose Mr Netanyahu, with neither side able to clinch the necessary 61-seat parliamentary majority to form a government.
The prime minister's Likud picked up 30 seats to become the largest party, securing a bloc of 52 legislators with the backing of right-wing and Orthodox Jewish parties.
Former finance minister Yair Lapid, his chief opponent whose Yesh Atid party won 17 seats, fell behind with 45 nominations in consultations with the president.
Mr Netanyahu has up to six weeks to cobble together a coalition, although Mr Rivlin said he would have preferred to give the task directly to parliament if the law allowed.
“The results of the consultations, that were open to all, lead me to believe that no candidate has a realistic chance of forming a government that will have the confidence of the Knesset,” he said, referring to Israel’s parliament.
The president’s pessimism reflects the incessant political deadlock, exacerbated by the collapse in December of Mr Netanyahu’s fragile coalition with his former rival, Benny Gantz.
The break-up sent the electorate back to the polls but failed to produce a clear outcome, with both Mr Netanyahu and his opponents grappling to secure a governable majority.
Mr Netanyahu’s bloc could be boosted by the right-wing Yamina party, which nominated its leader Naftali Bennett for the premiership, but its seven seats would still leave the incumbent short.
Mansour Abbas led his Islamist Ra’am party to four seats and has been seen as a possible kingmaker, having not recommended any candidate, though allies of Mr Netanyahu have refused to govern alongside him.
In giving the mandate to Mr Netanyahu, the president acknowledged criticism for approaching a candidate who is on trial for corruption.
“According to the law and the decision of the courts, a prime minister can continue in his role even when he is facing charges,” Mr Rivlin said.
“Because of that, I believed that the president should avoid deciding based on that consideration out of a sense of responsibility for the institution of the presidency and the trust in which it is held by all parts of the people,” he added.
Mr Netanyahu is facing several corruption charges in three separate cases in which he allegedly sought positive media coverage and received expensive gifts while in office. He denies the charges.
If he fails to form a government within six weeks, the mandate can fall to another candidate and ultimately the parliamentary floor.
A fifth round of elections will be called if no coalition is formed by early July.
FFP EXPLAINED
What is Financial Fair Play?
Introduced in 2011 by Uefa, European football’s governing body, it demands that clubs live within their means. Chiefly, spend within their income and not make substantial losses.
What the rules dictate?
The second phase of its implementation limits losses to €30 million (Dh136m) over three seasons. Extra expenditure is permitted for investment in sustainable areas (youth academies, stadium development, etc). Money provided by owners is not viewed as income. Revenue from “related parties” to those owners is assessed by Uefa's “financial control body” to be sure it is a fair value, or in line with market prices.
What are the penalties?
There are a number of punishments, including fines, a loss of prize money or having to reduce squad size for European competition – as happened to PSG in 2014. There is even the threat of a competition ban, which could in theory lead to PSG’s suspension from the Uefa Champions League.
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Dubai works towards better air quality by 2021
Dubai is on a mission to record good air quality for 90 per cent of the year – up from 86 per cent annually today – by 2021.
The municipality plans to have seven mobile air-monitoring stations by 2020 to capture more accurate data in hourly and daily trends of pollution.
These will be on the Palm Jumeirah, Al Qusais, Muhaisnah, Rashidiyah, Al Wasl, Al Quoz and Dubai Investment Park.
“It will allow real-time responding for emergency cases,” said Khaldoon Al Daraji, first environment safety officer at the municipality.
“We’re in a good position except for the cases that are out of our hands, such as sandstorms.
“Sandstorms are our main concern because the UAE is just a receiver.
“The hotspots are Iran, Saudi Arabia and southern Iraq, but we’re working hard with the region to reduce the cycle of sandstorm generation.”
Mr Al Daraji said monitoring as it stood covered 47 per cent of Dubai.
There are 12 fixed stations in the emirate, but Dubai also receives information from monitors belonging to other entities.
“There are 25 stations in total,” Mr Al Daraji said.
“We added new technology and equipment used for the first time for the detection of heavy metals.
“A hundred parameters can be detected but we want to expand it to make sure that the data captured can allow a baseline study in some areas to ensure they are well positioned.”
My Cat Yugoslavia by Pajtim Statovci
Pushkin Press
Terror attacks in Paris, November 13, 2015
- At 9.16pm, three suicide attackers killed one person outside the Atade de France during a foootball match between France and Germany
- At 9.25pm, three attackers opened fire on restaurants and cafes over 20 minutes, killing 39 people
- Shortly after 9.40pm, three other attackers launched a three-hour raid on the Bataclan, in which 1,500 people had gathered to watch a rock concert. In total, 90 people were killed
- Salah Abdeslam, the only survivor of the terrorists, did not directly participate in the attacks, thought to be due to a technical glitch in his suicide vest
- He fled to Belgium and was involved in attacks on Brussels in March 2016. He is serving a life sentence in France
