Gantz failed to lure right-wing, religious parties into coalition before receiving mandate

The Israeli media reported that the retired general tried to engineer a minority government including the New Right party and Haredi factions.

By World Israel News Staff

Prior to being officially handed the mandate to form the new Israeli government, Blue and White leader Benny Gantz reportedly tried to form a minority coalition including the Haredi parties and New Right, Channel 12 News reported on Friday.

According to the report, Gantz hoped the plan would pass muster with Yisrael Beytenu, whose leader, Avigdor Liberman, as emerged as the kingmaker in the latest rounds of Israel elections.

While Liberman has declared he won’t sit in a government with Haredi parties, his approval could have paved the way for the plan.

Gantz’s minority government arrangement, however, was rejected by key players, with the New Right’s Naftali Bennett and Ayelet Shaked, Shas’ Aryeh Deri, and United Torah Judaism’s (UTJ) Moshe Gafni reportedly unreceptive to the plan to take effect.

The Likud party, headed by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, is committed to a negotiating bloc that includes the Shas, UTJ, and New Right, all of whom have pledged to remain as one unit in coalition talks.

Gantz is slated to meet with Netanyahu on Sunday and Liberman on Monday, with the 28-day clock running on his shot to form the next Knesset and serve as prime minister.