Israeli politician Benny Gantz said Wednesday that he has failed to form a new government, The Washington Post reports. Gantz reportedly informed Israeli President Reuven Rivlin just hours before his midnight deadline that he couldn’t pull together the 61 votes needed to form the government. “I left no stone unturned. I sifted through every grain of sand,” Gantz said in a televised address. He also accused Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of failing to negotiate with him to form a unity government, stating that Netanyahu tried to do so “with childish videos and slogans.” Netanyahu failed to form a coalition himself shortly after he was elected, and Gantz was subsequently given 28 days to try. In the next three weeks, the parliament itself will have a chance to form the government. If the parliament fails, it may mean that the Israeli people will have to endure a third national election in less than a year—possibly in March.
