Israel’s Benny Gantz fails to form government

JERUSALEM

Israel’s centrist Blue and White Party leader said Wednesday he failed to form a new government.

Benny Gantz informed Israeli President Reuven Rivlin of his failure hours before a deadline to form a coalition.

Rivlin is expected to ask parliament to find a candidate to get the support of 61 Knesset members to form the government in 21 days. If any lawmaker cannot command a majority, Israel will go to snap elections.

Earlier Wednesday, right-wing Yisrael Beytenu leader, Avigdor Lieberman, said the country was on track for an unprecedented third election in 12 months.

Lieberman blamed Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Gantz for failing to establish a unity government at a news conference and asserted that their differences are “personally derived.”

Netanyahu was unable to form a government following inconclusive elections last month as he remains embroiled in several corruption cases.

This year has witnessed two rounds of Israeli parliamentary elections held in April and September, respectively, where the two biggest parties, Likud and Blue and White, failed to form a coalition.