Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has gone to a lot of trouble to avoid being in the position in which he now finds himself: Now that the list of presidential candidates has been finalized, the only candidate from the ruling party, Likud, is MK Reuven Rivlin, and the prime minister has no choice but to support his candidacy. Despite having obstinately refused to back Rivlin's bid for presidency due to a years-long feud, Netanyahu called Rivlin on Wednesday to voice his support. "We have been through a lot in our lives -- for better and worse. I hope that we will soon see better days," Netanyahu told Rivlin. "I was waiting to see the final list of candidates, and as prime minister and the chairman of the Likud, I endorse your candidacy." Rivlin was surprised to get the phone call from Netanyahu, but thanked him for the support. He even remarked that he thought the conversation was as an important milestone in his race for the presidency. Netanyahu had made it clear that he was not interested in Rivlin as the Likud candidate in the presidential race. The deadline for submitting new candidates expired at midnight on Tuesday, and until the very last minute Netanyahu was still scrambling to present an alternative to Rivlin. He approached Nobel Prize laureate Elie Wiesel, but the efforts did not pan out. It wasn't only Rivlin who was surprised by the prime minister's endorsement. Yisrael Beytenu leader and Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman also expressed surprise at Netanyahu's change of heart. Lieberman's associates said that he and Netanyahu had discussed the presidential race late Tuesday and that the prospect of endorsing Rivlin did not come up in the conversation. Though Yisrael Beytenu and Likud ran on a joint list in the last election, Lieberman declared Wednesday that due to lack of coordination his party would not be obligated to support Netanyahu's candidate for presidency, and therefore would support someone else. It appears likely that Yisrael Beytenu will endorse former MK Dalia Itzik for the position. Lieberman's associates explained that his opposition to Rivlin's candidacy stems mainly from ideological reasons. They mentioned Rivlin's past opposition to a parliamentary investigation of left-wing organizations and the fact that his first tour as Knesset speaker was in the Israeli Arab city of Umm al-Fahm. Rivlin gained additional support on Wednesday from Likud minister Gilad Erdan and Habayit Hayehudi leader Naftali Bennett. Erdan said, "Rivlin, a Jerusalem man, represents national and democratic values. He is the most suitable and worthy candidate to serve as the president of the state and I support his candidacy." Bennett echoed Erdan's sentiment, saying that Rivlin was the "natural candidate for the presidency. He is presentable, Zionist, compassionate and a great lover of Israel, the Torah of Israel and the Israeli people. I can't think of anything more symbolic than to announce today -- Jerusalem Day -- my support for a man whose middle name is Jerusalem." The questions that remain unanswered are how Yesh Atid MKs will vote in the election, as they are not bound by party discipline in this instance and can vote as they please, and how the ultra-Orthodox parties will vote, particularly in light of Netanyahu's support for Rivlin. One official said that "the possibility of [ultra-Orthodox parties] supporting Rivlin is becoming less and less likely in light of Netanyahu's endorsement." However, Rivlin's associates remarked that "in most cases, a vote for [Rivlin] is not a protest against Netanyahu or anyone else but rather a vote for Rivlin the man, therefore, Netanyahu's endorsement is not expected to be detrimental to his candidacy."
