JOSEF FEDERMAN
Associated Press
JERUSALEM (AP) — Israel's deadlocked parliament on Wednesday failed to meet a midnight deadline to form a coalition government, triggering an unprecedented third election in a 12-month period while giving scandal-plagued Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu a welcome break as he fights to save his political career.
The move prolongs a year-long political stalemate that has paralyzed the government and undermined public trust in the government. The country now enters what once again is sure to be a bitter three-month political campaign that is expected to deliver very similar results.
"Keep your children away from the television," said Yair Lapid, a leader of the opposition Blue and White party, saying the campaign will be a "festival of hate, violence an
