Netanyahu and Gantz Plan to Meet After Jewish Holiday in Effort to Form Unity Government

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Blue and White's Benny Gantz have arranged a meeting for Wednesday in the hope of forming a unity government.

The Jerusalem Post reports that negotiation teams for both parties failed to reach an agreement Sunday morning, prompting Netanyahu to call Gantz and plan another meeting.

Gantz has been in London for the Rosh Hashanah holiday, but agreed that negotiators would meet again on Wednesday morning followed by further discussion between the two leaders.

"The Likud is very disappointed that Blue and White was unwilling to compromise," the party said following Sunday morning's meeting.

Allegedly, the Blue and White party did not answer the Likud's question of whether Netanyahu could start out as prime minister as part of a compromise initiated by President Rivlin.

Likud officials said no progress could be made while Gantz is in London.

CBN News previously reported that President Rivlin wants to avoid a third election and says he wants a broad and stable government.

Author Joel Rosenberg told CBN’s Faith Nation program a unity government is what Israelis are looking for.

"What we're heading towards is what we actually need, a national unity government where Benny Gantz, the former IDF Chief of Staff, Israeli military chief of staff, might serve for two years as prime minister and then Benjamin Netanyahu serves. The question is which will go first," Rosenberg said.

"When you have a deadlock like this that's what people want, we're not choosing either or, you've got to serve together and there's a long tradition in that, in the Israeli government in that."

Netanyahu told his block of conservative and religious parties he wouldn't join a government without them while Gantz's Blue and White party said they will keep their promise not to serve with Netanyahu.