Thirty-fifth government of Israel

Israeli government formation, April–May 2019

15 April – 30 May 2019

Nominee Benjamin Netanyahu Benny Gantz Party Likud Blue and White Electoral vote 65 45

Prime Minister before election Benjamin Netanyahu Likud Outcome of Formation No government formed and fresh elections called. Netanyahu remains PM in interim

On 15–16 April 2019, President Reuven Rivlin met with representatives of the parties in the 21st Knesset. They recommended as follows[4][5] and Rivlin officially chose Netanyahu to form the next government.[6]

Netanyahu was unable to form a coalition by the deadline of 29 May. Instead of letting Benny Gantz attempt to form a coalition of his own, a vote by the majority of the Knesset elected to dissolve itself, and a snap election was held on 17 September 2019.[1]

That election was inconclusive, prompting warnings of a third election.[10] This prospect was deemed unacceptable by the opposition and the general public, and the prime minister called on Gantz to form a national unity government, even offering to cede the top job sometime in the future. Gantz rejected this offer,[11] noting Netanyahu's proposed unity government would include all of Netanyahu's right-wing allies, but none of Gantz's centre-left allies. Gantz also refused to sit with Likud as long as Netanyahu is its leader, due to the criminal cases against Netanyahu.

Yisrael Beiteinu, under its leader Avigdor Lieberman, called for a secular unity government composed of itself, Likud, and Blue and White, and that would specifically exclude Netanyahu's right-wing and religious allies. As Lieberman's party holds the balance of power in the Knesset, analysts identified such a coalition as the most viable option.

Israeli government formation, September 2019

22 September 2019

Nominee Benjamin Netanyahu Benny Gantz Party Likud Blue and White Electoral vote 55 54

Prime Minister before election Benjamin Netanyahu Likud Outcome of Formation No government formed and fresh elections called. Netanyahu remains PM in interim

President Rivlin met with representatives of Blue and White, Likud, the Joint List, Shas and Yisrael Beiteinu on 22 September to ask for recommendations on whom to select for prime minister. The next day, he met with members of United Torah Judaism, Yamina, Labor-Gesher and the Democratic Union.[12]

Rivlin officially chose Netanyahu to form the next government on 25 September,[19] though he conditioned it on Netanyahu giving back the mandate if he failed to form a government, in order to avoid another dissolution of the Knesset.[20]

Netanyahu agreed to this stipulation, and called for a "unity government" between himself, his allied religious parties, and Gantz. Gantz refused, on the basis that he had promised during the election not to join a Netanyahu-led coalition, and furthermore that a coalition that included all of Netanyahu's allies would not truly be a unity government. Efforts to resolve the deadlock were unsuccessful, and on 21 October Netanyahu returned the mandate to Rivlin.[21] On 23 October, Rivlin's office tasked Gantz with forming a government;[22] this mandate was given back to Rivlin on 21 November.[23] From that day, MKs had three weeks in which they could choose to nominate any of themselves to serve as PM. The selected MK would have had to secure the support of 61 MKs.[24] However, no MK was able to form a government, and it was determined on 12 December that a third election would take place on 2 March 2020.[25]

Israeli government formation, March–April 2020

March–April 2020

Nominee Benny Gantz Benjamin Netanyahu Party Blue and White Likud Electoral vote 61 58 Subsequently nominated via a letter signed by 72 MKs Investiture vote - In favor 73 Investiture vote - Against 46

Prime Minister before election Benjamin Netanyahu Likud Outcome of Formation Benjamin Netanyahu Likud

President Rivlin met with all elected parties and received their recommendations for prime minister on 15 March.[26] Rivlin gave Gantz the mandate to form a government on 16 March.[27]

Before the election, Gantz vowed to form a government that would not include Netanyahu.[33] Initially an attempt was made to form a minority government with external support from the Joint List, however this initiative promtply collapsed as MKs Yoaz Hendel and Zvi Hauser announced they would vote against such a government, citing an electoral promise not to lean on the Joint List which includes "terror supporters" such as Balad. During the COVID-19 pandemic in Israel, Gantz reversed his stance and announced he was willing to support an emergency coalition with Netanyahu.[34] On 21 March, Netanyahu announced negotiations were completed for a national unity government with a rotating prime ministership where Netanyahu would serve first, and would later be replaced by Gantz, although Gantz denied this and claimed negotiations were still ongoing.[35] On 26 March, one day after Knesset Speaker Yuli Edelstein resigned, Gantz instead agreed to become Speaker of the Knesset.[36][37] The fact that right-wingers in Likud Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's coalition agreed to support Gantz's bid to become speaker put the future of the Blue and White alliance in jeopardy. The same day Gantz was elected as the new Speaker of the Knesset by a margin of 74–18.[37]

On 27 March 2020, it was revealed that a major obstacle to a possible long-term alliance between Gantz and Netanyahu emerged with regard to implementing U.S. President Donald Trump's Middle East peace plan. Barak Ravid of Israel's Channel 13 news revealed that Gantz, despite previously claiming that he wanted to implement the peace plan, still wanted to hold peace talks with the Palestinians, which Trump and Netanyahu still opposed. Ravid stated that this would likely make the upcoming deal between Gantz and Netanyahu short-lived. As part of the proposed coalition deal between Netanyahu and Gantz, Gantz was to replace Netanyahu as Prime Minister of Israel after 18 months' government.[38] Gantz's term as prime minister-designate was going to end on 14 April,[39] though President Rivlin extended it until 15 April.[40]

On 20 April 2020, Gantz and Netanyahu announced that agreement on a unity government had been reached. The deal would involve both parties sharing power, and Gantz and Netanyahu taking turns being prime minister. Under the terms of the agreement Netanyahu is to be prime minister until October 2021, with Gantz serving as vice prime minister. After that time the men are to exchange roles. However, should Netanyahu leave the premiership early, Gantz is to take over the role. Several watchdog groups in Israel, including the Movement for Quality Government in Israel and other groups, reacted to the news by petitioning the Supreme Court to block the formation of the government due to the indictment of Netanyahu.[41]

On 7 May 2020, Netanyahu won the support of 72 MKs to form a government, with Rivlin giving Netanyahu a two-week mandate to form a government shortly after.[42] The parties who gave their support included Blue and White, Likud, Derekh Eretz, Gesher, Shas and United Torah Judaism as well as two of the three members of the Labor Party.[43]