Israeli government is on the verge of collapse

Jerusalem – Israel appears to be on its way to its fourth election in two years. The divided government had a deadline of midnight to approve a budget. Otherwise it will automatically collapse and elections will be held at the end of March.

The prospect of a new election appears to be bad news for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, whose 11-year-old government is suddenly under threat from a trio of disaffected former aides at the head of rival parties, a corruption lawsuit and the health crisis beyond the coronavirus.

His former associates share his harsh ideology, including a popular lawmaker who recently retired from the Prime Minister’s Likud party. Whether Netanyahu can defend himself against these rivals or not, the country will almost certainly be led by a right-wing politician opposed to concessions to the Palestinians, resuming the hopes of US President Joe Biden’s upcoming administration. peace talks.

The anticipated collapse of the government could also spell the end of the short political career of Secretary of Defense Benny Gantz, whose popularity plummeted.

The outlook for Israel’s center-left bloc looks worse than in previous races as its leader, Gantz, has forged an alliance with Netanyahu that is now unraveling. Gantz lost the support of much of his base and the bloc was left leaderless.

Netanyahu and Gantz formed their coalition in May after fighting to a stalemate in three consecutive elections.

The immediate cause of Tuesday’s expected collapse is the failure to approve a budget before midnight. This will certainly result in the automatic dissolution of Parliament and new elections held at the end of March.

But the event really reflected the failure of an association plagued from the outset by mutual hostility and distrust. For seven months, Gantz has faced a series of humiliations and has stayed aloof from major decisions, such as a series of diplomatic agreements between the United States and Arab countries.

Netanyahu has accused Gantz’s Blue and White Party of acting as “opposition within the government.”