A moment before Benny Gantz's mandate to form a government runs out, the right-wing bloc has increased to 59 MKs. It happened when Gesher leader Orly Levy-Abekasis announced she was joining the bloc that supported Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The prime minister welcomed her, revealing what he really thinks about the ongoing talks with Gantz to form a unity government with a rotating leadership: he means to bring Gantz to his knees, or dump him and seek other alternatives.
Since the results of Israel's third election in under a year were announced, Gantz's situation has gotten steadily worse. His party split into three factions; partners in his bloc like Zvi Hauser, Yoaz Hendel, Amir Peretz, and Itzik Shmulik revoked their veto on joining a unity government under Netanyahu; and it appears as if another election will upset everything for those who were left without a political home and others who went back on election promises – all of whom are working against Gantz, to Netanyahu's benefit.
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This still doesn't guarantee Netanyahu a government, because he hasn't secure 61 MKs, but he is in a better position now than he was a month ago, and certainly in a better position than Gantz was after the previous election, which ended with Gantz as leader of the largest party in the Knesset but unable to form a government.
Last time, Gantz asked that President Reuven Rivlin tap Netanyahu to form a government first. But even thought Gantz was far from 61 MKs, Rivlin decided to give him the mandate. Now that it appears that Gantz is about to fail, Rivlin won't actually have a choice other than to give Netanyahu – who is in a better position than Gant – the mandate to form a government.
It's not clear why Rivlin rushed to announced that once Gantz's time was up, the Knesset – rather than any individual – would be charged with forming a government. It would have been better for the president to restrain himself and not act out of revenge, at least in cases in which he cannot find any other justification for his actions.
Netanyahu might not currently have the number of recommending MKs he needs, but with a Knesset built on the ruins of parties that fell apart, there's no doubt that his work will now be easier. It doesn't guarantee success, but neither does it justify the decision to pass him over.
