Trending Theme: Netanyahu Faces Leadership Challenge

Benjamin Netanyahu, who has been Prime Minister of Israel since 2009, is facing the first real challenge to his leadership of the country after elections in September 2019. His party, Likud, won 31 parliamentary seats out of a possible 120, with the centrist Blue and White party winning 32 seats. With neither party securing the requisite 61 votes to ensure a parliamentary majority, Netanyahu has urged Benny Gantz, leader of the Blue and White party, to begin negotiating terms for some sort of “national unity” government. Such an alliance between the two parties would give its leader a clear majority in the parliament. Gantz has stated his support of a unity government, but has rejected the idea that Netanyahu retain his position as Prime Minister.

Netanyahu is strongly motivated to retain his hold on the leadership position; maintaining power may be his best chance to avoid indictment on bribery and corruption charges. Should negotiations with Gantz fail, his only option for retaining his position would be to make alliances with other parties that won seats in the parliament. While he has begun working on these agreements, he does not appear to have obtained enough seats to gain the majority.

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