Israeli president picks Netanyahu to try to form government

Israel’s election ended with neither a Netanyahu-led bloc nor an alliance of his opponents winning a majority.

Israel’s president says no party leader has enough support to form a governing majority but handed the job to embattled Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu amid his corruption trial. Reuven Rivlin’s announcement on Tuesday nudged forward the twin dramas over the country’s future and Netanyahu’s fate, giving Israel’s longest-serving prime minister another chance to try to salvage his career. Netanyahu holds the most support – 52 seats – in Israel’s splintered Knesset, but that is still short of a 61-seat majority.