(Bloomberg) -- Israeli lawmaker Benny Gantz, who was granted a mandate to form Israel's next government, told President Reuven Rivlin that he may need extra time to build a coalition, Gantz's Blue and White party said in written comments.
Gantz, who is in talks with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's Likud and aligned parties on forming a government, updated Rivlin on his efforts to do so and may need to request that the president extend the April 13 expiration date for the mandate, the party said via a WhatsApp message.
“The president assured Gantz that he will thoroughly consider the request in light of the circumstances, closer to the mandate's expiration date,” it said.
Gantz, who headed an anti-Netanyahu bloc in the three elections held in the past year, broke with his partners on March 26 and announced that he planned to attempt to form a national emergency government. One key issue in the talks that remains undecided is U.S. President Donald Trump's peace plan, according to a Jerusalem Post report.
Read more: Israel Set for Unity Government as Anti-Netanyahu Bloc Splits
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