Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former coalition partner, Blue and White leader Benny Gantz, tried to blame each other for the collapse of their seven-month-old government. Blue and White withdrew from the agreements [to modify the original coalition agreement] and dragged us into unnecessary elections during the corona crisis, “said Netanyahu, who became the first Israeli on Saturday night to receive the Covid-19 vaccine.” We don’t want an election and we voted against it … but we are not. afraid of elections – because we will win! “
Gantz, referring to the corruption allegations facing Netanyahu, said: “I regret that the Prime Minister is preoccupied with his trial and not the public interest, and that he is willing to take the whole country into a period of uncertainty. instead of ensuring economic stability and a recovery of the economy. “
After three unclear elections, and with the first wave of the coronavirus pandemic underway, Gantz agreed in April to join Netanyahu in what was described as an ’emergency’ coalition government – even though he had campaigned on a platform that ruled out the prime minister while he was accused of corruption.
Under the deal, the premiership would have rotated between the two party leaders: Netanyahu would serve first and then give way to Gantz after 18 months. The only loophole in the complicated deal was if lawmakers failed to agree on a budget before Tuesday’s midnight deadline – a failure that has now come true.
The fate of the government appeared to be sealed after the Knesset failed to pass a first-reading bill in the early hours of Tuesday that would have extended the deadline for reaching a budget deal.
Opposition leader Yair Lapid – who campaigned with Gantz in the last election, but withdrew his party’s support when Gantz joined forces with Netanyahu – addressed the Israeli leader in the Knesset Monday evening: “Mr. you don’t care about the mutation [of coronavirus]. You only care about the rotation [of the prime ministership]. “
Polls suggest Netanyahu’s Likud party is back on track to win the most Knesset seats in the next election. With support from Blue and White, it appears that its biggest rivals are from other right-wing parties, gaining ground over Israel’s longest-serving leader.