The political rival of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sept. 19 swiftly rejected Netanyahu’s offer to form a coalition government, after both leaders failed two days earlier to secure enough support after an unprecedented second election.
Benny Gantz, the leader of the Blue and White political alliance formed earlier this year in a bid to defeat Netanyahu, won 33 seats in Israel’s parliament, with 95 percent of the votes counted on Sept. 19. Netanyahu’s Likud party won 31 seats, but neither side gained enough support from smaller parties to form a 61-seat ruling bloc in the 120-seat parliament.
