By i24NEWS , Israel Hayom—
In the wake of the stalled unity talks with Blue and White, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu could return the mandate to form a government as soon as this week, just days after he was tapped by President Reuven Rivlin for the job, sources say.
Rivlin on Wednesday evening tapped Netanyahu, giving him 28 days to try to cobble together a governing coalition without a clear path to a majority. But Netanyahu has failed to muster enough votes to swear in a government through a confidence vote, due to the hung parliament that emerged from the Sept. 17 election.
The apparent decision to hand back the mandate means that Rivlin would have to assign someone else to form a government, most likely Blue and White leader Benny Gantz, although he too is unlikely to form a government.
The only path that could produce a governing coalition involves a unity government involving Likud and Blue and White, but the gaps are as wide as ever.
Under a unity deal, Netanyahu and Gantz would serve as prime ministers on a rotating basis. On Friday, the two parties, which received almost the same number of seats in the Sept. 17 election, failed to reach a breakthrough in their negotiations.
If Rivlin taps Gantz to form a government and he too fails to assemble a coalition, this could result in another general election, unless the Knesset selects another MK that could get a confidence vote and gets the president’s blessing. Continue Reading….