Ex-military chief has 28 days to forge coalition and avoid third election in year

This article is more than 10 months old

This article is more than 10 months old

Israel’s president has tasked the former military chief Benny Gantz with forming a government after Benjamin Netanyahu failed to do so following an inconclusive election last month.

Neither Gantz’s Blue and White coalition nor the incumbent prime minister’s Likud party came out with a clear win, and few expect the opposition leader to form a coalition through deals with disparate political parties with ease.

“I promised that I would establish a liberal unity government and that is what I intend to do,” said Gantz at a formal ceremony at the president’s official residence on Wednesday evening. “The government that I will establish will serve all citizens of Israel.”

Gantz will have 28 days to try, after which parliament can nominate a third candidate, although that appears extremely unlikely given the divided makeup of Israel’s legislature, the Knesset.

If no contender can end the political crisis, the country will face an unprecedented third election in a year.

“These are fateful days,” said the president, Reuven Rivlin, after Wednesday’s event. “The urgency of the hour and the challenges that we are facing obligate us to form a government as soon as possible.”

The ceremony marked the first time in more than a decade that anyone but Netanyahu be given a chance to head the Israeli government.

An end to the Netanyahu era would be an extraordinary moment in Israeli politics, as he has led the country for a record-breaking total of more than 13 years. The move does not necessarily conclude his political career or his chances of leading the country’s next administration.

However, the stalemate has wounded the prime minister, especially as he has become more deeply embroiled in three potential corruption cases. Israel’s attorney general is expected to announce in the coming weeks if he plans to indict.

The charges add pressure on Netanyahu to remain in high office. If he retains the role of prime minister, he will not be required to step down, even if indicted. Netanyahu has denied all allegations.

Quick guide The police investigations swirling around Netanyahu Show Hide The Israeli PM is embroiled in four cases involving allegations of bribery and misconduct. He denies wrongdoing in every instance. Case 1000 is an investigation into gifts received on a regular basis by Netanyahu and his family from two wealthy businessmen, including cigars and pink champagne. Case 2000 is examining whether Netanyahu behaved improperly during a taped conversation with a newspaper publisher in which he appeared to try to negotiate more sympathetic coverage in return for lowering the circulation of a rival paper. Case 3000 is an inquiry into alleged kickbacks in a deal to buy German submarines. Netanyahu is not a suspect, but he was closely involved in the deal and the case has ensnared members of his inner circle.

Case 4000, the most serious, involves allegations that Netanyahu offered incentives to the Israeli telecoms company Bezeq in exchange for positive stories in an online news website it owns, Walla.

To block Gantz’s chances, Netanyahu reportedly planned to meet smaller rightwing and religious parties to get them to agree not to ally with the opposition leader.

One route for Gantz to form a government would be to make a deal with Avigdor Lieberman, whose eight seats afford him kingmaker status, and gain support from Arab parties. However, Lieberman, a staunch ultranationalist regularly accused of racism, has described Arab politicians as “enemies”.

Lieberman, Rivlin, Netanyahu and Gantz all say they want a unity government, possibly with a rotating premiership, but they are divided on how to achieve it.

Blue and White argues Gantz should be prime minister first under any arrangement as his party won the most seats, finishing with 33 compared with Likud’s 32 in the 120-seat Knesset.

Gantz also says Blue and White cannot serve in a government with a prime minister facing serious indictment.