While his Blue White movement came first, the general could try to form a coalition.
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If he ends the reign of "King Bibi", as he now dares to consider, it will be by accident. General Benny Gantz, former chief of staff of the Israeli army, entered politics less than a year ago, did not defeat Prime Minister Benyamin Netanyahu in the legislative elections of 17 September. He is only the first beneficiary of internal settlements on the right, who have deprived "Bibi" of his majority in the legislative, after more than ten consecutive years in power.
With 33 MPs elected to the Knesset (out of a total of 120), according to still unfinalized results, his movement Blue White (center right) does not have more a majority than the Likud of Mr. Netanyahu (31 seats). But Mr Gantz could legitimately claim to form a government of national unity, the only possible outcome, for the time being, to this stalemate poll.
On Thursday morning, Mr. Netanyahu called on him to lead such a project together. "Benny, let's meet today, at any time, to move this process forward, which is more relevant than ever. We do not have the right to go to a third election – I am against, said the outgoing prime minister. Mr. Gantz has repeatedly said in campaign that he would not sit with Mr. Netanyahu if he was charged with corruption – a court decision is expected in late 2019. Mr. Gantz may he today give in? He said he was ready on Wednesday to speak " with everyone ".
For a long time, editorial writers in the Israeli press have called Mr. Gantz " weak link ", able to rally Netanyahu for a ministry of defense. No one doubts that Mr. Gantz entered politics in the sense of duty, as an officer concerned, as a servant of the State. But one still seeks in him the burning desire for power. He does not have the edge of his two predecessors at the head of the army, then the government, Yitzhak Rabin and Ehud Barak, nor quite their service record. But it does not have their asperities of character either.
"Not even dead"
It is now an advantage for this man of listening and authority, after a campaign without any splinters, which has despaired the Israeli press. She had almost nothing to write about Mr. Gantz: she judged him "Bland" calm and boring. During the summer, she completely lost sight of it. Void, the candidate who had matched the Likud in the April legislative elections. Mr. Gantz discreetly sounded the Likud to give himself the means to form a coalition without his leader. But he seemed to have forgotten his previous meeting with the electors.
