Israel ran into another wall – actually, the same wall – in its quest to break a year-long political impasse early Thursday when another deadline passed without the country’s warring factions able to strike a deal and form a government.
The two sides, led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Army chief Benny Gantz, were still meeting when midnight came and went, marking the end of Gantz’s official window to assemble a ruling coalition. The rivals, spurred by the coronavirus crisis, have been struggling for weeks to agree on a power-sharing agreement in which they would take turns in the prime minister’s office.
Hours later, Israeli President Reuvin Rivlin snubbed both politicians by refusing Gantz’s request for more time and Netanyahu’s desire to have his own turn to form a government. Instead, Rivlin tossed the mandate to the parliament, giving any member of the 120-seat Knesset 21 days to find the 61-votes needed to take power.
The move does not preclude the possibility of Gantz and Netanyahu reaching an agreement in the next three weeks and the sides planned to continue talking Thursday. Rivlin also returned the mandate to parliament in the fall, after both leaders earlier failed to form a government. But Rivlin’s move this time does move the exhausted country closer to yet a fourth election.
As he has at previous meaningless milestones over the course of three inconclusive elections, Rivlin beseeched the parties to find a way – any way – of reaching a compromise and stopping the increasingly surreal political carousel to nowhere.
“I hope that the Knesset Members will be able to form a majority in such a way that a government can be formed as soon as possible, and to prevent a fourth round of elections,” Rivlin said in his letter to the parliament.
While the result was the same as previous missed deadlines, the issues in dispute have been very different in the weeks since Gantz stunned the country by dropping his year-long quest to oust Netanyahu and agreed, in principle, to serve with him in an emergency unity government to fight the pandemic.
The move split apart Gantz’s Blue and White party, a coalition of factions assembled at the start of this endless political season with the express goal of ending Netanyahu’s decade-long grip on Israel’s top job.
“It’s another Netanyahu government,” Yair Lapid, one of Gantz’s Blue and White co-founders, lamented when Gantz made his switch. “Benny Gantz surrendered without a fight and crawled into Netanyahu’s government.”
Gantz has reportedly agreed to let Netanyahu serve the first rotation as premier for a fixed term of 18 months. But even Gantz’s remarkable turnabout – he spent much of the year declaring that Netanyahu is unfit to lead – hasn’t been enough to break the logjam.
Leaks from inside the ensuing negotiations portray the two sides struggling to divvy up dozens of ministerial portfolios, factions battling to save their plum jobs and disagreements over policy.
Among the thornier issues have been how fast the government would move to annex Jewish settlements in the West Bank under the terms of the Trump peace deal (Gantz reportedly acceded to Netanyahu’s desire to fast-track the plan) and control of the process of appointing judges.
In addition to starting in the new government as Netanyahu’s deputy prime minister, according to media reports, Gantz has variously considered taking on the jobs of foreign minister, defense minister or remaining as Knesset speaker, a post he was elected to two weeks ago.
The latest talks are said to be hung up, partly, on protections built into the deal for Netanyahu, who fears that Israel’s Supreme Court could rule that his criminal charges make him ineligible to form a government, or serve as Gantz’s deputy prime minister when they rotate jobs.
Gantz has reportedly resisted some of the guarantees Netanyahu seeks. In one of many acts of brinkmanship, Gantz has suggested that he would allow legislation in the parliament that would make it illegal for an indicted prime minister to serve.
Israel’s ever more humbled political forecasters say that a deal between the two is still possible. But so are other scenarios.
Netanyahu, who has enjoyed a bump in approval for leading a pandemic response that has so far prevented a widespread outbreak, may decide that a fourth election would be the charm in his quest for an outright majority for his right-wing coalition.
Gantz could try to reassemble the coalition he jilted of center-left and Arab Israeli parties that was agonizingly close to giving him the votes he needs to take power.
“We may have a unity election this afternoon or we may new elections,” said Gideon Rahat, a political science professor at Hebrew University. “Any scenario is possible.”
(c) 2020, The Washington Post · Steve Hendrix
{Matzav.com}
Hopefully until Moshiach comes