Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has 61 parliamentary votes in his favor.. Photo: Wikimedia Commons.

JNS.org – Sixty-seven Knesset members endorsed Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to remain the Israeli government’s leader, giving him enough support to form a governing coalition.

The Israeli president (Reuven Rivlin) must consult with the representatives of all of Israel’s political parties before choosing a party leader to build the government and serve as prime minister. With Netanyahu’s Likud party winning 30 Knesset seats to the Zionist Union’s 24 seats in the recent election, the consultations were not much more than a formality.

As expected, the right-wing and religious parties—Likud, Habayit Hayehudi, Shas, United Torah Judaism, and Yisrael Beiteinu—recommended Netanyahu. The 10 Knesset seats of the centrist Kulanu party allowed Netanyahu to surpass the minimum 61 seats needed for a coalition.

“We accept the people’s decision,” Kulanu leader Moshe Kahlon said, according to Israel Hayom. “The people want Netanyahu to assemble the government, and I recommend Netanyahu.”