Israel's former military chief Benny Gantz has been tasked with forming the next government after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu failed to assemble a 61-seat majority coalition. President Reuven Rivlin formally granted the mandate to Gantz late Wednesday, giving him 28 days to form a government. If he fails, another member of parliament could potentially assemble a majority coalition, but that scenario has never happened. Gantz faces similarly steep odds, raising the possibility that Israel will hold a third election in less than a year. The political deadlock dates back to April, when Lieberman refused to join a right-wing coalition under Netanyahu.

Source: Fox News October 23, 2019 13:24 UTC