Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility

Trump Says No Summit Deal With Putin Over Ukraine War, Talks Were ‘Very Productive’

1 day ago

Madera County Man Arrested in Fatal Crash Case

1 day ago

Man Fleeing an Immigration Raid Dies After Running Onto LA Freeway

1 day ago

Kevin McCarthy, Redistricting Commission’s Popularity Stand in Newsom’s Way

1 day ago

California Man Safe After High-Tech Rescue From Behind Sequoia Waterfall

1 day ago

California Legislature’s Final Weeks Could Decide Delta Water Tunnel’s Fate

1 day ago

US Consumer Sentiment Weakens in August, Inflation Expectations Rise

1 day ago

Trump Names Rosner as Chair of Energy Regulator

2 days ago
Israel's Main Parties Begin Talks on Coalition Government
gvw_ap_news
By Associated Press
Published 6 years ago on
September 24, 2019

Share

JERUSALEM — Israel’s two largest parties met Tuesday to discuss the possibility of forming a unity government, in a long-shot effort to break the political deadlock following last week’s national elections.
The meeting between party representatives comes a day after Blue and White leader Benny Gantz and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of the rival Likud party held their first working meeting since the vote. Israeli President Reuven Rivlin brought them together in hopes of breaking an impasse that could lead to months of political limbo and potentially force a third election in less than a year.
“We took a significant step this evening, and now the main challenge is building a direct channel of communication out of trust between the two sides,” Rivlin told the two rivals. “People expect you to find a solution and to prevent further elections, even if it comes at a personal and even ideological cost.”
Israel’s president is responsible for choosing a candidate for prime minister after national elections. That task is usually a formality, but it is far more complicated this time since neither of the top two candidates can build a stable parliamentary majority on his own.
Rivlin summoned Gantz and Netanyahu for another summit Wednesday before making his decision. No breakthrough is expected, and it is unclear which way Rivlin is leaning.
On Tuesday, negotiators from the two parties met for what they described in a joint statement as a “matter-of-fact” meeting “held in good spirits.”
Gantz’s centrist Blue and White came in first in the elections, with 33 seats, trailed by Netanyahu’s Likud with 31. With smaller allied parties, a total of 55 lawmakers have thrown their support behind Netanyahu, against 54 for Gantz, leaving both men short of the required 61-seat majority.

Both Express Support for a Unity Government but Have Deep Disagreements

A unity deal between the large parties, with a rotating leadership, is seen as perhaps the only way out of the gridlock. That’s what Avigdor Lieberman, the leader of the ultranationalist Yisrael Beitenu party, is insisting upon. Lieberman, who controls eight seats, has refused to endorse either candidate and is demanding they join him in a broad, secular unity government that excludes the ultra-Orthodox parties — Netanyahu’s long-time partners. A former aide and ally of Netanyahu, Lieberman forced the Sept. 17 repeat vote by refusing to join Netanyahu’s coalition and robbing him of his parliamentary majority.

“It is going to be very hard, if not downright impossible, to form a government based on the two larger parties, when one of them drags its satellite parties along with it.” — columnist Nahum Barnea 
Both Netanyahu and Gantz have expressed support for a unity government but have deep disagreements over its agenda and who should lead it.
Gantz insists he should go first and has vowed not to partner with Likud so long as Netanyahu is at the helm, citing the prime minister’s legal predicament. Israel’s attorney general has recommended charging Netanyahu with a series of corruption-related charges and is expected to make a final decision following a hearing with the prime minister early next month.
Netanyahu, seeking protection from prosecution, believes he should remain as prime minister and has signed a deal with his smaller allies, including ultra-Orthodox parties, to negotiate as a “bloc.” The joint statement noted that while Netanyahu’s negotiator, Yariv Levine, claims to represent all 55 members of the right-wing bloc, Gantz’s negotiator, Yoram Turbovitch, views Levine as representing only Netanyahu and the Likud.
“It is going to be very hard, if not downright impossible, to form a government based on the two larger parties, when one of them drags its satellite parties along with it,” wrote columnist Nahum Barnea in the Yediot Ahronot daily. “That’s like a bride who wants to bring her brother, cousin, neighbor and rabbi along with her to the consummation of her marriage. It won’t work.”

DON'T MISS

What Are Fresno Real Estate Experts Predicting for 2025 and Beyond?

DON'T MISS

First California EV Mandates Hit Automakers This Year. Most Are Not Even Close

DON'T MISS

How Do We Bridge America’s New Segregation?

DON'T MISS

Micky MaKenzie, Bold Pup With a Big Heart, Ready for a New Home

DON'T MISS

Trump Says Xi Told Him China Will Not Invade Taiwan While He Is US President

DON'T MISS

Melania Trump Sends Letter to Putin About Abducted Children

DON'T MISS

Category 4 Hurricane Erin Continues to Intensify, NHC Says

DON'T MISS

US Stops Visitor Visas for People From Gaza

DON'T MISS

Trump Says No Summit Deal With Putin Over Ukraine War, Talks Were ‘Very Productive’

DON'T MISS

Tulare County Man Guilty of Multiple Lewd Acts on Child

DON'T MISS

Sanger Police Arrest Second Suspect Charged in Juvenile Shooting

DON'T MISS

Pismo’s Manager Stuck in ICE Detention for Long Ago Teen Crime

UP NEXT

US Stops Visitor Visas for People From Gaza

UP NEXT

Trump Says No Summit Deal With Putin Over Ukraine War, Talks Were ‘Very Productive’

UP NEXT

Israel in Talks to Resettle Gaza Palestinians in South Sudan, Sources Say

UP NEXT

UN Rights Office Says Israeli Settlement Plan Breaks International Law

UP NEXT

Far-Right Israeli Minister Pays Surprise Visit to Jailed Palestinian Leader

UP NEXT

Trump Heads to ‘High Stakes’ Alaska Summit With Putin on Ukraine

UP NEXT

Trump: Journalists Should Be Allowed Into Gaza

UP NEXT

Mossad Chief Meets Qatari PM in Renewed Push for Gaza Ceasefire, Hostage Deal

UP NEXT

Why Young Americans Dread Turning 26: Health Insurance Chaos

UP NEXT

Trump Says He Thinks Putin Will Make a Deal

Melania Trump Sends Letter to Putin About Abducted Children

12 hours ago

Category 4 Hurricane Erin Continues to Intensify, NHC Says

12 hours ago

US Stops Visitor Visas for People From Gaza

12 hours ago

Trump Says No Summit Deal With Putin Over Ukraine War, Talks Were ‘Very Productive’

1 day ago

Tulare County Man Guilty of Multiple Lewd Acts on Child

1 day ago

Sanger Police Arrest Second Suspect Charged in Juvenile Shooting

1 day ago

Pismo’s Manager Stuck in ICE Detention for Long Ago Teen Crime

1 day ago

Complaint Filed Against Judge in NW Fresno Luxury Apartment Case

1 day ago

Madera County Man Arrested in Fatal Crash Case

1 day ago

Fresno Two-Vehicle Crash Near Highway 168 Entrance Causes Traffic Delays

1 day ago

How Do We Bridge America’s New Segregation?

America’s democracy is under threat. President Donald Trump smashes alliances, upends norms and tramples the Constitution. So it’s normal to...

10 hours ago

3D illustration, Symbolic image on the topic of division, exclusion
10 hours ago

How Do We Bridge America’s New Segregation?

Micky MaKenzie, a bold yet sweet pup who loves belly rubs, car rides and playing with dogs of all sizes, is now recovered from surgery and ready for a forever home with his best buddy Sunny. (Mell's Mutts)
11 hours ago

Micky MaKenzie, Bold Pup With a Big Heart, Ready for a New Home

President Donald Trump holds a press conference following his meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin to negotiate an end to the war in Ukraine, at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, in Anchorage, Alaska, U.S., August 15, 2025. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque
11 hours ago

Trump Says Xi Told Him China Will Not Invade Taiwan While He Is US President

U.S. first lady Melania Trump speaks at the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., May 8, 2025. (Reuters File)
12 hours ago

Melania Trump Sends Letter to Putin About Abducted Children

Hurricane Erin, which is the first hurricane of the 2025 Atlantic season and has developed into a dangerous Category 4 hurricane, moves westward near Puerto Rico in a composite satellite image August 16, 2025. CIRA/NOAA/Handout via REUTERS
12 hours ago

Category 4 Hurricane Erin Continues to Intensify, NHC Says

United States Department of State logo and U.S. flag are seen in this illustration taken April 23, 2025. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration
12 hours ago

US Stops Visitor Visas for People From Gaza

U.S. President Donald Trump goes to shake hands with Russian President Vladimir Putin, as they meet to negotiate for an end to the war in Ukraine, at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Anchorage, Alaska, U.S., August 15, 2025. (Reuters/Kevin Lamarque)
1 day ago

Trump Says No Summit Deal With Putin Over Ukraine War, Talks Were ‘Very Productive’

A Farmersville man, Jose Martinez-Delgadillo, was found guilty on Wednesday, August 13, 2025, of multiple lewd acts on a child, possession of child pornography, and other crimes, and faces over 22 years in prison with lifetime sex offender registration. (Tulare County DA)
1 day ago

Tulare County Man Guilty of Multiple Lewd Acts on Child

Search

Help continue the work that gets you the news that matters most.

Send this to a friend