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New 48-Hour Deadline Extends the Drama in Israel's Political Deadlock

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The political gridlock in Israel just got extended a bit longer.

Israeli President Reuven Rivlin has given a new deadline for Blue and White Party leader Benny Gantz to form a government, until after the end of the Passover holiday.  

Rivlin gave Gantz an extra 48 hours until midnight on Wednesday to come to an agreement with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Gantz and Netanyahu have been trying to reach a deal for about a month since Rivlin gave Gantz the mandate to form a government.

They met together with Rivlin and afterward issued a joint statement, saying, they had made "significant progress in talks to form an emergency unity government".

It's not clear how long such a government would last but it would prevent the possibility of the fourth round of elections in just a year.

CBN News Middle East Bureau Chief Chris Mitchell said both parties are running out of time.

"Rivlin says that he won't pick Netanyahu if these negotiations fail and that he's going to go directly to the Knesset," he said. "If the Knesset doesn't come up with a candidate or a government within 21 days, then Israel will go back for the fourth election."

Israel has a parliamentary form of government, and neither Netanyahu or Gantz have won enough of a majority of the seats in the Israeli Knesset to be able to form a ruling government that would allow them to take the lead as Israel's prime minister.

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About The Author

Chris Mitchell
Chris
Mitchell

In a time where the world's attention is riveted on events in the Middle East, CBN viewers have come to appreciate Chris Mitchell's timely reports from this explosive region of the world. Chris brings a Biblical and prophetic perspective to these daily news events that shape our world. He first began reporting on the Middle East in the mid-1990s. Chris repeatedly traveled there to report on the religious and political issues facing Israel and the surrounding Arab states. One of his more significant reports focused on the emigration of persecuted Christians from the Middle East. In the past