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Gantz Says He, Not Netanyahu, Should Lead Israeli Unity Government

VOA News

   Ken Bredemeier and Linda Gradstein contributed to this report.

   Israeli political challenger Benny Gantz said Thursday that he, not
   Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, should lead a new unity government
   after Gantz's centrist Blue and White party won the most seats in
   parliament in this week's election.

   There was no clear winner in Tuesday's election, but Gantz's party won
   33 seats to 31 for Netanyahu's right wing Likud party, both well short
   of a 61-seat majority in the 120-seat Knesset. Neither can immediately
   muster a majority with their smaller political allies.

   Both Netanyahu, Israel's longest-serving leader, and Gantz, a former
   Israeli defense chief, called for a unity government, but Gantz said he
   should lead the next government since his party won more seats than
   Likud.

   "The public voted clearly in favor of unity," Gantz said.

   "Blue and White has at the time I am speaking won 33 seats, while
   Netanyahu has not obtained a sufficient majority to form a coalition as
   he hoped."

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