- [Reporter] President Rivlingave the mandate to Lapid

hoping that Israel can emergefrom a political stalemate

that's led to fourelections within two years.

Lapid told Israelis the countryneeds a unity government.

(speaks in foreign language)

- [Translator] Israelis tired of fighting.

Israeli society islooking to its politicians

and asking them,

When will they stoparguing and start working?

Now we need a unity government.

- [Reporter] Lapid leads thecenter left Yesh Atid Party.

Hebrew for "There is a future."

The majority of his supportcomes from secular Israelis.

Many who oppose Ultra-Orthodox policies.

A former TV Journalist,Lapid supports negotiations

with the Palestinian authority

while drawing the line onan undivided Jerusalem.

- Jerusalem is the ethos.

This country was established by.

And you don't

I don't know.

I don't think Americans will,

for any kind of agreementwill give up the Capitol Hill.

And I don't think Israelisshould give up their own capital.

- [Reporter] Lapid facesa daunting challenge

of unifying parties acrossthe political spectrum

including an error party ofthe so-called "change bloc"

which primarily seeks to oustPrime Minister Netanyahu.

- Because there's such apush to replace Netanyahu.

There does seem to be a few thing

that these parties may agreeto what they can agree on

and whatever they can agreeon to leave out on the side

- [Reporter] Four weeks,Lapid has been negotiating

with so-called 'Kingmaker',Naftali Bennett

from Yamina, a religious Zionist Party.

Bennett's support is crucial

and Lapid has offered apower sharing agreement

where the two would taketurns as prime minister

with Bennett going first.

A Bennett partnership wouldinclude a conservative foreign

and domestic policy agenda.

Which he explained in ourexclusive CBN News interview

prior to the last election.

- The country is 72 years old.

We continued to be threatened by you know,

some of the worst countries in the world.

That's cut taxes, cut bureaucracy,

speed up the economy in a Reaganesque way.

- Like Lapid, Bennett opposesthe Iranian nuclear agreement,

calling it a terrible deal.

- The deal in fact, allows Iranto proceed to the very verge

of acquiring not onenuclear weapon, but dozens.

All they need to do is press a button

and they'll have within days

dozens of nuclear bombs.

- Bennett and Lapid claim they can form

a government within a week.

If so, they would mark a watershed moment

in Israeli politicswhile pushing Netanyahu

out of office and into the opposition.

The prime minister has failed three times

to form a government

and his latest effort expired on Tuesday.

Leaving President Rivlin to choose Lapid.

Traiman sees twin threats ofincreased Palestinian terrorism

and a potential nuclear Iran

facing a Lapid, Bennett government.

- The question is, whether aninexperienced prime minister

can deal with these threats.

- Lapid has 28 days to form a government.

If he fails, Rivlin couldallow a three-week period

when any Knesset member could try

and cobble a coalition together.

If that doesn't work, Israelis will head

to the polls for the fifth time

In just more than two years.

Chris Mitchell, CBN News, Jerusalem.