Election of "Blue and White" coalition leader Benny Gantz as Speaker of the Israeli Knesset

The Knesset announced today, Thursday, the election of "Blue and White" coalition leader Benny Gantz - the main rival of the outgoing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu - as Speaker of the Israeli Knesset, in a move that might lead to the formation of a joint emergency government between them.

Gantz was the only candidate to succeed Netanyahu's ally, "Yuli Edelstein," who resigned under pressure on Wednesday.

Knesset Speaker Edelstein submitted his resignation from office hours before the deadline set by the Supreme Court, to clear the way for elections to choose a successor.

Gantz voted in favor of 74 Knesset members, and 18 against him, out of 120 in total.

Gantz said that he is seeking to form an emergency government, because the stage in which Israel lives due to the spread of corona infection is unusual, and requires unusual decisions, as he described.

And Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper quoted Gantz - in his first statement - that he said, "Israeli democracy is not negotiable, democratic justice will prevail, and Knesset 23 will return to the right track."

Support for Netanyahu
He added, "For more than a year, our life has been run by a transitional government that does not have a general mandate." He continued, "Together, to unite the people, Israel first," as he put it.

According to the official Kan channel, Gantz received the support of outgoing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the right in Israel in running for the position of Speaker of the Knesset.

The channel also indicated that the leaders of the "Blue and White" coalition, Yair Lapid and Moshe, Ya'alon separated from the Knesset because of Gantz's candidacy and his election as Speaker of the Knesset.

Lapid and Ya'alon count two of three sides in the "Blue and White" coalition, where Lapid heads the "There is a Future" party, and Ya'alon leads the Telem party.

The Arab deputy in the Knesset, Ahmed al-Tibi, head of the Joint Arab List, said that what is happening in the Knesset today is not a drama, but a "mockery".

Al-Tibi added - according to a statement issued by his office - "Previously, I said that the politics of the police and the Shabak (Israeli Internal Security Agency) graduates cannot be relied on in politics, and today the army leadership is also added to this statement, and I wonder: How can Gantz, who was assigned by the head of state to form a government After receiving a recommendation from 61 Knesset members to crawl to Netanyahu?