The impasse continues. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his ex-rival Benny Gantz have failed to agree on a government of "unity and urgency", in the midst of the coronavirus crisis, at the end of Thursday of their ultimatum to try to end the longest political crisis in the history of Israel.
After 16 months of transitional government, three most unlikely and sometimes most desperate legislative elections and twists and turns for some Israelis, the teams of Netanyahu, 70, and Gantz, 60, found themselves Wednesday evening after the end of the festivities Passover, Passover, they said in a joint statement.
With the consent of a majority of parliamentarians after the legislative elections of March 2, President Reuven Rivlin had granted Gantz the mandate to form the next government. And the latter had caused surprise by saying that he accepted to form a government with Benjamin Netanyahu, which he had previously refused, accusing the Prime Minister in particular of corruption.
Another elected to try to form a government?
During the past two weeks, the two have multiplied the talks to the point where, after the expiration of the mandate of Gantz, Monday evening, the president had decided in extremis to put a token in the negotiation machine thus granting the two leaders up to 'at midnight to find a government agreement. But after midnight, Gantz's term has expired, a source in the presidency confirmed to AFP. In theory, the Israeli president could ask parliamentarians to recommend another elected representative to try to form a government and get Israel out of an unprecedented political crisis, in the midst of the new coronavirus crisis which has infected more than 12,000 people, including 130 have died.
Points of disagreement
The past few weeks have shown tensions between the Netanyahu and Gantz camps over the choice, in particular, of the future Minister of Justice, who will be in charge during the trial of Netanyahu, prosecuted for corruption, embezzlement and breach of trust in three cases.
The trial of Netanyahu, the most enduring prime minister in the history of Israel with 14 years in power, was scheduled to begin in mid-March. But containment measures to try to contain the Covid-19 crisis forced, as in many countries, the closure of the courts and therefore the postponement of the trial.
Disagreements also seem to persist on the appointment of a Minister of Defense - Gantz and his acolyte Gaby Ashkenazi being ex-chiefs of staff -, as well as on the project of annexation of the Jordan Valley in the West Bank busy.
A fourth election?
After being initially appointed to form the government, Benny Gantz, who some time ago refused to participate in a government led by Netanyahu because of his indictment for corruption, put water in his wine by renouncing, at least in the short term, to his plan to become Prime Minister and by consenting to participate in a government led by Benjamin Netanyahu.
"Netanyahu, we have arrived at the hour of truth," said Gantz this week, whose plan to form a government with Netanyahu contributed to the implosion of his own centrist coalition Kahol Lavan (Blue-White, the colors of the Israeli flag).
Tenors of his party refused to join him in his policy of reaching out to Netanyahu, who now faces a weakened opposition. After these rounds of discussions without convincing results, a number of editorialists question the intentions of the outgoing Prime Minister: Benjamin Netanyahu really wants to share power with Benny Gantz?
In addition to surfing on very favorable opinion polls that support its management of the pandemic - Israel having been named the safest country, ahead of Germany, according to a study by the DKV consortium -, the Prime Minister could play the wait-and-see attitude in order to provoke a fourth election and remain by then in power.
- Benyamin netanyahu
- Israel
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