Netanyahu’s right-wing religious bloc recommends sending mandate to Knesset

Prime Minister Netanyahu’s right-wing religious bloc announces it’ll recommend that President Reuven Rivlin send the mandate to form a government to the Knesset rather than task another lawmaker with doing so, after the premier’s failure to accomplish the task by last night’s deadline.

Netanyahu’s Likud party, the ultra-Orthodox Shas and United Torah Judaism parties, and the far-right Religious Zionism party say they are doing so because Yamina chief Naftali Bennett would not rule out forming a “left-wing government” with the prime minister’s rivals.

“Likud calls on Naftali Bennett, Ayelet Shaked and all the members of Yamina to honor their election pledge to not go to a government with Lapid and the rest of the left. Likud is convinced that the moment Bennett and Shaked pledge to be part of the right-wing bloc, it’ll be possible to guarantee a majority in the Knesset for a right-wing government,” a statement from Likud says.

In a letter sent by Likud to Rivlin, the party claims there’s no “feasibility” that if another lawmaker if tasked with forming a government, that MK will be able to do so, and says therefore the matter should be sent to the Knesset to decide.

It also asserts that sending the mandate to the Knesset will raise the likelihood a government will be formed and thus reduce the chances of fifth elections.