Israel’s president to begin talks about PM choice on Monday

Israel’s President Reuven Rivlin will host party representatives at his residence on Monday to hear their recommendations for who should be the next prime minister. Rivlin’s office said on Friday he will consult with the heads of all elected factions, in order of largest to smallest, about their choices. Rivlin will then pick the candidate he believes has the best chance of assembling a parliamentary majority, and ask that leader to form a government within 42 days. A final tally of votes late Thursday showed Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud party capturing 36 seats in the 120-seat Knesset, AP said. Together with nationalist and Jewish ultra-Orthodox parties, which Netanyahu calls his “natural allies,” his right-wing bloc commands a 65-55 parliamentary majority.