No talks set as coalition deadline approaches

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Blue and White leader Benny Gantz and their parties’ coalition negotiating teams will all be at the Knesset on Monday, but sources close to them all said there would be no negotiations to end the political quagmire.

An agreement must be reached by Wednesday at midnight to prevent the Knesset from dispersing itself automatically. If no MK obtains the support of a majority of the Knesset to form a government by then, Israelis will go to the polls for the third time in under a year.

“In the three days that are left, there is still hope that we can avoid an unnecessary election,” Gantz told the Makor Rishon conference in Jerusalem. “But it will not happen through political spin about changing the voting technique, which would only bring us back to this same mess. We need to avoid an election out of a real sense of responsibility. That is why I will make every effort to avoid this election, informed by the values that I hold dear while not abandoning my basic principles.”

MORE: https://www.jpost.com/Israel-Elections/No-talks-set-as-coalition-deadline-approaches-610299

No talks set as coalition deadline approaches