Following a request by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Israeli President Reuven Rivlin has agreed to grant Netanyahu two more weeks to form a coalition.
Netanyahu will now have until May 29 to form a government, or another party will be given the opportunity.
In his request for an extension, Netanyahu noted the Passover, Holocaust Remembrance Day, Memorial Day and Independence Day holidays, as well as “security events around the Gaza Strip,” as obstacles in clinching coalition deals.
The extension period is built into Israeli law and has been used in the past.
So far, no official coalition agreements have been made between Netanyahu and coalition partners, but this is a common occurrence, with several previous governments engaging in brinksmanship up to the final deadline.
