<p>TEL AVIV, Israel — President Reuven Rivlin announced Monday that he will begin consultations next week with Israel’s political rivals in hopes of unraveling the country’s post-election deadlock.</p>
<p>Israel’s presidency is largely a figurehead office. But after national elections, the president is responsible for choosing the leader of the party with the best chance of forming a government to put together a majority coalition in the 120-seat parliament.</p>
<p>That is usually a straightforward decision, with the leader of the largest individual party typically selected as the prime minister-designate. But after last <a href="https://apnews.com/article/no-clear-winner-israeli-election-5aab7aac65d1e84c013ce37f7fbdbf74">Tuesday’s election delivered no clear path to forming a governing majority</a>, Rivlin will face a difficult task.</p>
<p>Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud is the largest single party, with 30 seats. But with his traditional nationalist and ultra-Orthodox allies, he has secured only 52 seats in parliament.</p>
<p>Netanyahu’s opponents secured 57 seats, also short of a majority, while two parties have not committed to either side.</p>
<p>Rivlin’s office said he would hold two days of consultations with each party, starting next Monday. Two days later, he hopes to announce his choice for forming a new coalition. His designated prime minister would then have up to six weeks to work out a coalition deal with other parties.</p>
<p>It’s not an easy task given Israel’s kaleidoscope of changing alliances and rivalries. The factions who oppose Netanyahu have less in common than the right-leaning factions that could join up with him. </p>
<p>And support for Israel’s longest-serving prime minister, who is under indictment on corruption charges, has dipped. </p>
<p>Rivlin’s consultations will coincide with the resumption of Netanyahu’s trial. Next Monday, witnesses are to begin taking the stand against Netanyahu in the trial’s evidentiary phase, a development that could become both embarrassing and time-consuming for the embattled prime minister. Netanyahu has denied all charges against him.</p>
<p>The answer to whether Israel can form a government might not be known for weeks, leaving open the possibility of going to a fifth election in a little over two years. </p>
<p>Party leaders have already begun behind-the-scenes negotiations, though the talks appear to be in their early stages.</p>
<p>Netanyahu got an endorsement Monday from the ultra-Orthodox Shas party, for example. But the party has remained solidly behind him and its endorsement had been widely expected.</p>
<p>Opposition leader Yair Lapid, leader of the centrist Yesh Atid party, has held meetings with other party heads. </p>
<p>But the real drama will depend on formal decisions by potential kingmakers. </p>
<p>They include Mansour Abbas, leader of a small Arab Islamist party that has endorsed neither side, and onetime Netanyahu allies-turned-opponents Naftali Bennett of Yamina, Gideon Saar of New Hope and Benny Gantz, the Blue and White party chief.</p>
<p>If they agree on anything, it may be that Israel should not go through a fifth election. The protracted stalemate has left the country of 9.3 million people with a poorly functioning government for long periods of time. Although Israel has won praise for its recent rollout of a successful coronavirus vaccine campaign, it has struggled to formulate coherent policies and been hobbled by the lack of a proper budget. </p>
<p>Once again, a caretaker government is set to assume power this week until a majority coalition is formed or new elections are held. Caretaker governments are only supposed to maintain the status quo and avoid making major policy decisions or moves that would hobble a future government.</p>
<p>If no party manages to form a government — which was the case following 2019′s back-to-back parliamentary elections — the Knesset is dissolved and new elections are called within three months. The caretaker government would continue to hold the reins. </p>
