In the wake of the stalled unity talks with Blue and White, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu could return the mandate to form a government as soon as this week, just days after he was tapped by President Reuven Rivlin for the job, sources say.
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Rivlin on Wednesday evening tapped Netanyahu, giving him 28 days to try to cobble together a governing coalition without a clear path to a majority. But Netanyahu has failed to muster enough votes to swear in a government through a confidence vote, due to the hung parliament that emerged from the Sept. 17 election.
The apparent decision to hand back the mandate means that Rivlin would have to assign someone else to form a government, most likely Blue and White leader Benny Gantz, although he too is unlikely to form a government.
The only path that could produce a governing coalition involves a unity government involving Likud and Blue and White, but the gaps are as wide as ever.
Under a unity deal, Netanyahu and Gantz would serve as prime ministers on a rotating basis. On Friday, the two parties, which received almost the same number of seats in the Sept. 17 election, failed to reach a breakthrough in their negotiations.
If Rivlin taps Gantz to form a government and he too fails to assemble a coalition, this could result in another general election, unless the Knesset selects another MK that could get a confidence vote and gets the president's blessing.
Upon receiving the task to form the next gov't @netanyahu said:
"If I don't succeed, I will return the mandate to you and with the help of G-D and Israel's citizens, and yourself Mr. President, we will establish a broad national unity government down the line." pic.twitter.com/xpmRKR5OIH— i24NEWS English (@i24NEWS_EN) September 26, 2019
Blue and White accused Likud of refusing to move past its preconditions of heading the coalition with Netanyahu at the helm. Blue and White has long insisted that any unity government would have to result in Netanyahu leaving his job because of his pending indictments. This means that progress is unlikely unless one of the parties makes a dramatic concession.
Rivlin has proposed a unity government that would see equal power divided between the two parties, including a rotational deal that splits the four-year term between the parties' leaders, with Netanyahu keeping the title of prime minister but having no actual authority.
Yet Blue and White in recent days has repeatedly reiterated its position not to be part of a government headed by someone who is facing a possible indictment.
This article was originally published by i24NEWS
