JERUSALEM: Israeli challenger Benny Gantz met Sunday with incumbent prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu for talks to try and put together a coalition government in the wake of two inconclusive general elections.
It was their first round of direct talks since president Reuven Rivlin on Wednesday tasked ex-military chief Gantz with trying to form a government.
Following the deadlocked elections on September 17, Netanyahu had tried to form a coalition, but finally gave up on October 21 — his second such failure this year.
A joint statement from Netanyahu’s Likud and Gantz’s Blue and White alliance after Sunday’s meeting however did not herald any breakthrough.
“The two discussed the structure of political options available,” the English-language statement said.
“Another meeting is anticipated between the two.”
Earlier Sunday the side’s negotiating teams met in what Blue and White called “good spirits.”
The joint statement released later said they “would continue to communicate.”
Both Likud and Blue and White say they want a unity government, but disagree on how to achieve it.
Likud has been seeking to negotiate based on a compromise set out by Rivlin that takes into account the possibility the premier will be indicted for corruption in the coming weeks.
It could see him remain prime minister for now, but step aside at some point later as he combats the charges.
Gantz would take over as acting premier under such a scenario.
Blue and White says Gantz should be prime minister first under any rotation arrangement since his party won the most seats, finishing with 33 compared to Likud’s 32.
Whoever wants to govern needs to find partners with which to control a majority of at least 61 seats in the 120-member Israeli parliament.
Gantz meets Netanyahu for Israeli coalition talks
Gantz meets Netanyahu for Israeli coalition talks
- A joint statement from Netanyahu’s Likud and Gantz’s Blue and White alliance after meeting however did not herald any breakthrough
Arab and Islamic states reject Israel’s recognition of Somaliland
- Israel formally recognized Somaliland as an “independent and sovereign state” on Friday
- Saudi Arabia on Friday expressed full support for sovereignty, unity, territorial integrity of Somalia
A group of foreign ministers from Arab and Islamic countries, alongside the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), have firmly rejected Israel’s announcement of its recognition of the Somaliland region within Somalia.
In a joint statement issued on Saturday, the ministers condemned Israel’s decision, announced on December 26, warning that the move carries “serious repercussions for peace and security in the Horn of Africa and the Red Sea region” and undermines international peace and security, the Jordan News Agency reported.
The statement described the recognition as an unprecedented and flagrant violation of international law and the charter of the United Nations, which uphold the principles of state sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity, JNA added.
Israel formally recognized Somaliland as an “independent and sovereign state” and signed an agreement to establish diplomatic ties, as the region’s leader hailed its first-ever official recognition.
The ministers reaffirmed their full support for the sovereignty of Somalia, rejecting any measures that would undermine its unity or territorial integrity.
They warned that recognizing the independence of parts of states sets a dangerous precedent and poses a direct threat to international peace and security.
The statement also reiterated categorical opposition to any attempt to link the move with plans to displace the Palestinian people outside their land, stressing that such proposals are rejected “in form and substance.”
Alongside the Jordanian foreign ministry, the joint statement was issued by the foreign ministers of Egypt, Algeria, Comoros, Djibouti, The Gambia, Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Libya, Maldives, Nigeria, Oman, Pakistan, Palestine, Qatar, Somalia, Sudan, Turkiye and Yemen, as well as the OIC.
Saudi Arabia on Friday expressed full support for the sovereignty, unity, and territorial integrity of Somalia, and expressed its rejection of the declaration of mutual recognition between Israel and Somaliland.
