Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has informed the country’s president that he is unable to form a government, following nearly a month of political wrangling to save his position as premier.
President Reuven Rivlin is now expected to ask Netanyahu rival Benny Gantz to attempt to put together Israel‘s next government.
BREAKING: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says he has come up short in his effort to form a new coalition government. His chief rival, former military chief Benny Gantz, will now get a chance to try. https://t.co/GyXk1djjOc
— The Associated Press (@AP) October 21, 2019
The news comes just days after Netanyahu signed an agreement on Wednesday with his right-wing allies, securing their support and making it more difficult for Gantz to form a minority government.
The agreement said:
“If, perish the thought, a minority government is sworn in with the support of Joint List or part of it, we will not join this government at any time, we will vote against it and work in any way to bring it down,”.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel has given up his latest attempt to form a government, clearing the way for his rival Benny Gantz to try to become the country’s next leader https://t.co/luHkLxYV02
— The New York Times (@nytimes) October 21, 2019
Gantz’s Blue and White finished the 17 September elections with the largest number of seats in Israel’s Knesset, but neither he nor Netanyahu’s Likud party secured a clear path to a majority coalition.
(Al-Araby Al-Jadeed, PC, Social Media)
