Netanyahu, Gantz to meet in Tel Aviv

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Blue and White leader Benny Gantz will meet in Tel Aviv this afternoon for coalition talks, eight days before the final deadline for the Knesset to tap a candidate to form a government.

Both Netanyahu and Gantz have failed to form a coalition after the September vote. Both have pushed for a unity government made up of their Likud and Blue and White parties, but talks have been stuck over Netanyahu’s looming criminal indictments and insistence on negotiating on behalf of his bloc of right-wing and religious parties. Another sticking point is who would serve as prime minister first under a power-sharing deal, and for how long.

Should they fail to reach an agreement, another round of elections — the third in under a year — could be called next week.