Israel: Benny Gantz new government mandate holder

(Patria) – Leader of the Blue and White alliance and former commander of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) Benny Gantz is the new mandate holder for the Israeli government.

He was tasked by Israeli President Reuven Rivlin to form a coalition government after the leader of Likud, Benjamin Netanyahu, failed to do so for the second time in a year.

Rivlin called on all parties to 'make concessions', and Gantz commented upon taking the mandate that 'everyone expects us to end the political chaos'.

– I promised to establish a unified liberal government, and that is what I intend to do, emphasized Gantz, who has 28 days for this task.

If Gantz fails to form a government, parliament will likely choose a third mandate holder to avoid new elections.

Previous attempts by Prime Minister Netanyahu to form a unified national government with Gantz's centrist Blue and White party and the conservative Likud failed because Gantz refused to enter a government with Netanyahu, citing corruption charges for which the Israeli prime minister is undergoing legal proceedings.

Let us recall, the outcome of the September elections in Israel was 33 seats for Blue and White, while Likud won 32. 61 seats are needed for a majority in the 120-seat parliament.

And while Gantz prepares for negotiations with the right-wing secular party Yisrael Beiteinu, as well as the workers' (left-wing) Gesher and the Democratic Camp, Likud fears that Gantz might form a minority government with the sole intention of overthrowing Netanyahu, writes the BBC.

Benny Gantz is a former chief of the Israeli army. He formed the Blue and White party in February because he believes the country has 'lost its way'. Since then, he has gained a large number of supporters who decided on his victory in the elections.