Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and parliament speaker Benny Gantz missed a deadline to form a unity government on Thursday, prolonging the country's unprecedented political crisis. The right-wing premier Netanyahu and centrist Gantz, Israel's former army chief, have gone head-to-head in three elections over the past year, resulting in a stalemate. After being elected Knesset speaker, Gantz pledged to use the remainder of his grace period to seek a deal with Netanyahu. Minutes before that mandate expired at midnight on Monday, Gantz and Netanyahu asked Rivlin for an extension, insisting they were close to a deal. By becoming speaker, Gantz all but conceded that Netanyahu would remain prime minister, at least through the first part of any prospective unity deal.

Source: Daily Mail April 16, 2020 00:12 UTC