JERUSALEM (Reuters) – Opposition leader Benny Gantz will be asked to form a new government, Israel’s president stated on Sunday, boosting his chances of ousting veteran Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
SUBMIT PICTURE: A combination image reveals Benny Gantz, leader of Blue and White celebration, in Tel Aviv, Israel, November 23, 2019 and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Kiryat Malachi, Israel March 1,2020 REUTERS/Corinna Kern, Amir Cohen/File Photo
It was a blow to Netanyahu, who is fighting for his political life in the middle of unprecedented political deadlock and a criminal indictment for corruption, which he rejects.
But it remains uncertain whether Gantz’s centrist Blue and White Celebration can break a stalemate that has been marked by three inconclusive elections in less than a year.
Netanyahu, 70, is Israel’s longest-serving leader and has been heading the country’s efforts to combat the coronavirus.
But in 2015 he twice tried unsuccessfully to create a judgment union.
And on Sunday Gantz won assistance from 2 key parties, leading President Reuven Rivlin to state that he would get the first possibility at forming a g