Benny Gantz, the great rival of Benjamin Netanyahu in the Israeli legislature, said Thursday want to be the prime minister of a future national unity government aimed at getting the country out of political stalemate.
The hand of Netanyahu
Two days after the legislative elections, the still provisional results credit Benjamin Netanyahu's Likud of 31 seats out of 120 in the Knesset, against 33 for the Kahol Lavan party ("blue-white") of former General Benny Gantz. By adding their respective and potential allies, religious parties and / or very marked right for Benjamin Netanyahu, and leftist or Arab formations for Benny Gantz, the counter falls to 56 deputies in each camp, under the bar of 61 seats needed to obtain a majority in Parliament.
Earlier in the day, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu surprised the country by reaching out to Benny Gantz to form a "unity government," after previously pleading for the formation of a right-wing government.
"We will not accept dictating things to us"
"The Israelis want a unity government," responded in the afternoon Benny Gantz. But "I will form this government with me at its head (...) We will listen to everyone but will not accept that we are dictated things," he added before a meeting with executives of his training.
"The blue-white party won and by the time I'm talking to you we have 33 seats while Netanyahu did not get the majority to form a coalition as he hoped," said Benny Gantz, a former Chief of Staff of the Israeli Army.