Israel's Netanyahu, Gantz miss government deal deadline, deadlock persists [View all]

[Eugene]

Source: Reuters

WORLD NEWS APRIL 15, 2020 / 5:42 PM / UPDATED 5 HOURS AGO

Israel's Netanyahu, Gantz miss government deal deadline, deadlock persists

Maayan Lubell
3 MIN READ

TEL AVIV (Reuters) - A countdown to a fourth election in Israel in more than a year of political deadlock began on Thursday after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and main rival Benny Gantz missed a deadline to form a government.

Both men had pledged to join forces in a national emergency government to battle the coronavirus crisis. But they could not agree on terms for power-sharing, with Netanyahu’s corruption trial, due to open next month, looming over their talks.

Under Israeli law, centrist politician Gantz’s failure to put together an administration within the 28 days allotted to him after a March 2 election meant that the Knesset, ‮‮I‬‬srael’s parliament, will now have three weeks to agree on a candidate for the task.

If no nominee is chosen in the next 21 days or if the appointee does not form a government within two weeks of being chosen, parliament will automatically dissolve and a new election will be held.

Further complicating the political picture, Netanyahu, head of the right-wing Likud party and Gantz, leader of Blue and White party and a former armed forces chief, could continue to pursue a deal and rally a parliamentary majority to support it.

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Read more: https://www.reuters.com/article/us-israel-politics/israels-netanyahu-gantz-miss-government-deal-deadline-deadlock-persists-idUSKCN21X3BS