Israel’s president tasked Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu with forming a new government Wednesday after last week’s deadlocked elections, but the premier faces a tough battle in negotiating a coalition deal to keep him in power. President Reuven Rivlin mandated Netanyahu to try to form the government after his initial attempts at negotiating a unity deal between the prime minister and his main challenger Benny Gantz failed. Netanyahu again called for a unity government when accepting the mandate from Rivlin, but the two sides appear a long way from a compromise.
