Israeli President Rejects Request for Coalition Extension

Israeli President Rejects Request for Coalition Extension
Election campaign billboards showing Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (R) and Benny Gantz (L) in Bnei Brak, Israel, on March 1, 2020. Oded Balilty/AP Photo
|Updated:

JERUSALEM—Israel’s president on April 12 turned down a request from Blue and White party leader Benny Gantz for a two-week extension to form a new coalition government.

The announcement by President Reuven Rivlin means that Gantz and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu have a midnight deadline Monday night to reach a power-sharing deal. If they fail, the country could be forced into a fourth consecutive election in just over a year.