JERUSALEM – Israel’s president Thursday asked the Knesset to choose a new prime minister, giving parliament three weeks to agree upon a leader or plunge the country into an unprecedented fourth consecutive election in just over a year.
President Reuven Rivlin made the move after his prime minister-designate, former military chief Benny Gantz, and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu failed to reach a power-sharing deal by a midnight deadline.
The bitter rivals had pledged to form an “emergency” government to steer the country through the coronavirus crisis, which has ravaged the economy and sent unemployment to record highs.