Israel’s president grants PM Netanyahu 2-week extension to form govt

Israel’s president has granted Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu a two-week extension to form a government. Reuven Rivlin tasked Netanyahu with building a coalition within 28 days of the April 9 elections.

Netanyahu appeared close to finalizing deals as of Monday, but recent national holidays and a spate of violence in Gaza have interrupted negotiations among political partners, AP said.

Netanyahu’s Likud party and its Jewish ultra-Orthodox and nationalist allies won a 65-seat parliamentary majority.

Under Israeli election rules, if Netanyahu fails to form a coalition after that time, Rivlin can task someone else to do so.