Tel Aviv
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Saturday invited his political rival Benny Gantz to join a unity government with him and his religious allies, an offer that was greeted coolly amid continued deadlock following this week’s election. The deadlock has already raised speculation about a possible third election in the coming months, just two days after an unprecedented repeat vote left the country’s two main political parties with no clear path to a coalition government. While weeks of negotiations to form a coalition government lay ahead, conditions set by the parties could hobble the task within the allotted time, forcing another election.— AP
