Israeli president begins talks to form new government

Israeli President Reuven Rivlin is starting his two-day consultations with all elected parties before deciding upon the prime minister-designate amid post-election deadlock.

Rivlin will begin hearing Sunday the recommendations of various parties at his residence. The largely ceremonial president is tasked with picking the politician with the best chance of forming a stable coalition. It’s usually a formality, but this time Rivlin plays a key role after an almost tied election result.

In last week’s vote, Benny Gantz’s centrist Blue and White party won 33 seats in the 120-seat parliament, while incumbent Benjamin Netanyahu’s conservative Likud took 31 seats. Neither can muster a majority coalition with their traditional smaller allies. The emerging compromise appears to be some form of unity government between the two, though both insist upon leading it.