Israel faces polls again after rival leaders fail to agree deal
Last-ditch coalition talks between Netanyahu and Gantz collapse
ISRAEL was last night facing the gloomy prospect of a fourth election after lastminute talks between Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister, and his rival Benny Gantz ended in failure.
As the deadline expired at midnight last night without any word of a breakthrough, hopes were fading rapidly that Israel would soon see the end of a political crisis that has spanned three inconclusive elections over the past year.
The Knesset, the Israeli parliament, is now expected to be given a final chance to nominate a candidate for prime minister. If that fails, then Israelis will have to go to the polls for a fourth time.
Just a few weeks ago, Mr Gantz, the leader of the Blue and White alliance, seemed to be on the brink of toppling Mr Netanyahu after a decade in power and a string of political scandals.
Over the past few days he has been absorbed in talks to share power with Mr Netanyahu, in a surprise move that would have allowed the embattled prime minister to stay in power for at least another 18 months.
Mr Gantz was once viewed as the antidote to Mr Netanyahu’s aggressive, divisive political style, but abandoned attempts to form his own government even though he managed briefly to secure a fragile majority shortly after the election last month.
When the Blue and White leader announced he would enter unity talks with Mr Netanyahu, some supporters accused him of betraying their movement. Allies insisted that Mr Gantz was putting his country before personal ambitions, in the belief that Israel needs a strong unity government to tackle coronavirus.
“Israelis are expecting us to put aside our differences and work together,” Mr Gantz said before the talks.
The spread of the virus has been relatively slow, but there are concerns about outbreaks in ultraorthodox Jewish neighbourhoods such as Bnei Brak, near Tel Aviv. The total number of infections has climbed to 12,000 while more than 120 people have died.
Political analysts were already pessimistic about the latest round of talks, as Mr Netanyahu’s Likud party revived opposition to key details on judicial appointments.
According to some reports, the Netanyahu camp was leaning towards a fourth vote after a recent poll suggested that Likud stands to gain seats in another election, partly due to Mr Gantz haemorrhaging support from key allies after he agreed to go into coalition talks.