Israel

The unprecedented vote comes after two inconclusive elections and months of stalemate that saw Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his rival, Benny Gantz, unable to forge a new government.

Benny Gantz's failure to form a coalition prolongs months of political deadlock. It does not automatically trigger new elections; rather, it kicks off another wave of political haggling.

The change, announced by Secretary Mike Pompeo, follows the Trump administration's recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and that country's sovereignty over the disputed Golan Heights.

Omar Shakir of Human Rights Watch was ordered to leave the country for allegedly backing boycotts of Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank. Aghast critics call it a blow to free expression.

Israel's longtime prime minister had been given a mandate to form a governing coalition after last month's close election. The mandate now falls to his chief rival, Benny Gantz.

The preliminary results show yet another near deadlock between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's Likud party and its main centrist rival.

In the second election in just five months, Israel's longest-serving prime minister is hoping to eke out a governing coalition. Once again, he faces a tough battle with a centrist rival.

The Israeli prime minister made the controversial pledge just a week before the country's general election. It would leave a future Palestinian state surrounded by Israeli territory.