Netanyahu, Gantz Fail to Agree on Power-Sharing Deal

Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his prominent opponent, Benny Gantz, failed to reach an agreement on power sharing in the last-minute talks, yesterday.

The health and economic crisis caused by the outbreak of the Coronavirus has not yet contributed to ending an unprecedented political stalemate, which caused Israel to hold 3 inconclusive elections within a year, and may now be on its way to a fourth election.

Israeli media reported that Gantz and Netanyahu were negotiating a power-sharing agreement that would have kept the rightest prime minister in office for 18 months, with Gantz, the former army chief, who is from the centrist, taking over as prime minister after that time.

Failure to reach an agreement complicates plans to revive the economy after the Coronavirus spread, and easing the country's strict isolation measures.

So far, Israel has reported more than 12,500 cases of Covid-19 disease, caused by the Coronavirus, and at least 130 deaths.

In the absence of the agreement, it will be up to the Parliament to choose a candidate who will have 14 days to form a government. If the candidate does not succeed, this will automatically lead to early elections.

Netanyahu and Gantz issued a joint statement this morning, saying they will continue negotiations over the day.

Gantz had previously said that he would not join a government led by Netanyahu, who faces corruption charges but denies any wrongdoing. His trial is scheduled to start next month.

However, the intensity of the Coronavirus crisis prompted Gantz to drop his election pledge and discuss an agreement, a move that angered many of his anti-Netanyahu supporters.

An opinion poll conducted by Israel’s 12 TV news channel on Monday showed that if elections were held today, Netanyahu’s Likud party would increase its number by four to 40 in the 120-seat Knesset, while the Blue and White party led by Gantz would only win 19 seats.

The poll also indicated that approximately 64 percent of Israelis are satisfied with Netanyahu's handling of the epidemic crisis.