Reuters - Israel's new parliament was sworn in on Tuesday (April 6), giving the country a new legislature amid an unprecedented political stalemate after an inconclusive election.
The ceremony took place hours after a sceptical President Reuven Rivlin invited Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to form a new government.
The country's longest-serving leader, in power consecutively since 2009, now faces the tough challenge of enlisting enough allies for a governing coalition.
Under law Netanyahu will have 28 days to do so, with the possibility of a two-week extension before President Reuven Rivlin picks another candidate or asks parliament to choose one.
Continued deadlock could ultimately result in a new election.
Rivlin cast doubt on his prospects for success and on whether any other prospective candidate could complete the task.
Israel's election on March 23, its fourth in two years, ended with neither a Netanyahu-led right-wing and religious bloc nor a prospective alliance of his opponents capturing a parliamentary majority.
During the swearing-in ceremony, several lawmakers of Israeli-Arab parties added to the official wording of their pledge, which stirred a wave of shouting in the Knesset hall.
