Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday called on his main rival, Benny Gantz, to hold talks aimed at creating a centrist unity government headed by the incumbent — but his proposal was summarily rejected.
“We will not enter a coalition led by Netanyahu,” Moshe Yaalon, a senior leader of the Blue and White party led by Gantz, told reporters, according to Reuters.
Gantz, a former military chief of staff, insisted he would be the one forming and leading a unity government.
“I am interested and intend to form a broad, liberal unity government under my leadership,” Gantz said ahead of Blue and White’s first faction meeting since winning 33 seats in Tuesday’s election — two more than Netanyahu’s right-wing Likud, the Times of Israel reported.
“To form a unity government you do not come forward with political blocs and spins but rather honesty, statesmanship, responsibility and seriousness,” Gantz added, dismissing the political bloc deal Netanyahu reached earlier with the leaders of United Torah Judaism, Shas and Yamina.
The leaders of the right-wing religious parties agreed to conduct coalition talks as one unit led by Netanyahu, who called on Gantz to join a government that includes those parties — pressuring him to drop his demand for a “secular” unity government with Likud.
During a speech at a memorial ceremony for former President Shimon Peres, Netanyahu called for a “broad unity government.”
“I propose that we meet as soon as possible without preconditions to cooperate in establishing a broad unity government for all those who believe in Israel as a Jewish and democratic state,” Netanyahu said.
“There is no reason to go to another election. I am against it,” he added.
President Reuven Rivlin — who will be tasked with determining who will have the first chance to form a coalition — spoke of the need to end the deadlock between Netanyahu and Gantz.
“I hear, loud and clear, the voices calling for a broad and stable national unity government and I congratulate you, Mr. Prime Minister, on joining that call this morning. The responsibility for making it happen falls to you elected officials, especially the leaders of the major parties,” Rivlin said, according to the Jerusalem Post.
Rivlin will be holding meetings with party heads in the coming days to see whom they recommend to head the government.
“It is imperative that we convene as quickly as possible — as soon as the final picture of the votes is clear — in order to work toward forming a government that can serve the State of Israel and the people of Israel again,” Rivlin said.
“For my part, I will do everything I can to prevent another general election. But the responsibility for this, as well as the responsibility for forming a government that serves all the citizens of Israel with the dedication it deserves, is yours,” he added.
With nearly all votes counted Thursday, Blue and White stood at 33 seats in Israel’s 120-seat parliament. Netanyahu’s conservative Likud stood at 31 seats.
“Everyone will need to get off their high horse to prevent elections for the third time,” Likud lawmaker David Bitan told Israeli Army Radio. “Blue and White’s desire for a unity government under their terms will not work.”
Neither party can form a government of at least 61 seats without the support of the election’s apparent kingmaker, Avigdor Lieberman of the Yisrael Beitenu party.
His insistence on a secular government would force out Netanyahu’s traditional allies, the country’s two ultra-Orthodox parties and another nationalist-religious party.
With Post wires