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Israel Is Officially Having a Third Election


Israel Is Officially Having a Third Election


The Knesset in Israel failed to nominate a new candidate for prime minister by the deadline Wednesday, and the country will now head to its third election in less than a year.

According to the Jerusalem Post, the Knesset had 21 days to decide on someone who could form a government by midnight Wednesday.

The Knesset had three weeks to decide after Benny Gantz, Blue and White party chairman did not form a government by the November deadline. A lawmaker needs the support of at least 61 of the 120-member Knesset to form a government.

Previously, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had also not been able to secure a 61-seat majority.

In a video posted online Wednesday, Netanyahu said that Blue and White “wants to hide the fact that they did everything to avoid establishing a broad national unity government that would annex the Jordan Valley, apply Israeli sovereignty on the settlements in Judea and Samaria.

“They forced new elections on us. It is unnecessary and in order to avoid it happening again there is one thing to do and that is to win, and win big – and that is what we’ll do,” he said.

Earlier this month, Netanyahu said the Blue and White party did not work with his Likud party’s proposals for the new government.

“They refused every offer to form a wide unity government,” he said. “Now, when there are only two days left, they are demanding conditions merely to talk.”

Blue and White party members, however, have pointed to looming charges and a possible indictment for Netanyahu.

“We will be going to a third election cycle today because of Netanyahu’s attempt to obtain immunity,” Gantz said on Wednesday at a conference held at the Knesset on the topic of rule of law. “We must stand in opposition of this …There is no room for immunity” in Netanyahu’s case, he asserted.

Photo courtesy: Getty Images/Amir Levy/Stringer





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