By Gill Hoffman and Lahav Harkov, JPost—
President Reuven Rivlin began his consultations toward forming a new government on Sunday, amid a historic move by most of the Joint List to recommend a candidate for prime minister and a controversial decision by Blue and White to not seek the first chance at building a coalition.
Blue and White had decided on Thursday that the party preferred to get the mandate from Rivlin first, but politicians and strategists in the party changed their minds after realizing that neither Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, nor Blue and White leader Benny Gantz would succeed in forming a government if given the first shot. Hints from Attorney-General Avichai Mandelblit’s office that the pace of Netanyahu’s criminal cases would be picked up also influenced the decision.
Rivlin told representatives of Likud and Blue and White that he would demand the formation of a unity government of both parties, but he did not indicate which party would go first. The earliest he could present his mandate is Wednesday evening, after the results of the September 17 election become official.
It became clear following the first day of consultations that barring a change in the final results of the race, Netanyahu would have the recommendation of 55 MKs from Likud, Shas, United Torah Judaism and Yamina. Gantz’s 54 recommendations are from Blue and White, Labor-Gesher, the Democratic Union and most of the Joint List.
While the Joint List made history on Sunday evening when its leader, Ayman Odeh, recommended Gantz for prime minister in its meeting with Rivlin, Blue and White officials downplayed the endorsement, because Balad’s three MKs did not endorse anyone, leaving Netanyahu with a majority of recommendations. Yisrael Beytenu did not recommend anyone.
“We are looking for the way to prevent Netanyahu from being prime minister, and that is what most of the public wants,” Odeh told Rivlin. “Therefore, our recommendation is for Gantz to form the next government.” Continue Reading….