Israeli parties must end deadlock by midnight or hold 3rd election in year

Israel and its embattled PM Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday looked set for a third election within a year unless a political stalemate can be resolved before midnight.

Conservative Likud leader Netanyahu and his main rival Benny Gantz have repeatedly failed to build a governing majority in parliament. A last-ditch deal to avert a third general election in 12 months must be reached before an 23:59 (21:59 GMT) deadline. After this, President Reuven Rivlin must declare that negotiations have failed and call for fresh polls.

Frantic negotiations were expected in recent days but instead all sides traded blame for the failing coalition talks. The new elections are likely to be held in March 2020.

Netanyahu and Gantz, a former army general who heads the centrist Blue and White party, had been discussing a potential unity government, but then disagreed on who should lead it. Last month, when Netanyahu was indicted on corruption charges, Gantz called on him to step down, AFP said.