Israeli President Reuven Rivlin Asks Parliament to Choose Prime Minister

Israel’s president asked the Knesset to choose a new prime minister into an unprecedented fourth consecutive election in just over a year.

Israel's President Reuven Rivlin attends a bilateral meeting with Australia's Prime Minister Scott Morrison (not pictured) at the Parliament House in Canberra on Feb. 26, 2020. Mick Tsikas/AFP via Getty Images

JERUSALEM—Israel’s president April 16 asked the Knesset to choose a new prime minister, giving parliament three weeks to agree upon a leader or plunge the country into an unprecedented fourth consecutive election in just over a year.

President Reuven Rivlin made the move after his prime minister-designate, former military chief Benny Gantz, and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu failed to reach a power-sharing deal by a midnight deadline.