Netanyahu tasked with forming new govt

JERUSALEM: Israel´s president on Wednesday tasked Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu with forming a new government after last week´s deadlocked elections, his office announced. The announcement followed a joint meeting between President Reuven Rivlin, Netanyahu and the premier´s challenger Benny Gantz. Netanyahu will have 28 days to form a government, with a possible two-week extension. If all attempts fail, Rivlin can then assign the task to someone else. Rivlin has been urging Netanyahu and Gantz to form a unity government, but a compromise appears a long way off. Final results from September 17 elections gave Gantz´s centrist Blue and White 33 seats, ahead of Likud´s 32 out of parliament´s 120.