Politicians from the anti-Netanyahu bloc, including Prime Minister Yair Lapid, urged the president to not grant the extension.
https://www.jpost.com/-By JERUSALEM POST STAFF
Likud head MK Benjamin Netanyahu is seen receiving the mandate to form Israel’s next government from Israeli President Isaac Herzog.(photo credit: MARC ISRAEL SELLEM)
Israel’s President Isaac Herzog decided early Friday afternoon to extend the period granted to Likud Chairman Benjamin Netanyahu to form the government by ten more days, according to Israeli media.
This comes the day after Netanyahu requested an extension of his mandate to form a coalition. Politicians from the anti-Netanyahu bloc, including Prime Minister Yair Lapid, urged Herzog to not grant the request.
Herzog’s issuance of extension
Herzog wrote in a statement: “I request that the government that is formed act for the benefit of the entire public in Israel and that the coalition that is being formed adhere to a respectful and responsible dialogue.
“The purpose of the sections of the [Israeli] Basic Law which deal with the formation of the government is… to establish a government that will gain the confidence of the Knesset… as soon as possible,” Herzog wrote in his statement. “I decided by my own authority to extend the period given to you to fulfill the duty of forming the government by 10 days.”
“When you expressed your willingness to form the government, you said that you would form a government that would work for the entire nation. This is a complex time in Israeli society; disputes over fundamental issues threaten to tear [people] apart and fuel gratuitous violence and hatred,” The president emphasized.
Netanyahu’s future government must also maintain Israel’s strong ties to the Jewish Diaspora, Herzog said.