Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility
Israeli Politics Remain in Chaos After Deadlocked Election
gvw_ap_news
By Associated Press
Published 6 years ago on
September 26, 2019

Share

JERUSALEM — Benjamin Netanyahu has been tasked by Israel’s president to form a new government for the sixth time in his lengthy political career. This time it’s no mere formality, but rather a daunting endeavor that looks like mission impossible.

Officially, Benjamin Netanyahu has up to four weeks to present a stable government. President Reuven Rivlin, who is responsible for delegating a leader to form a government, gave Netanyahu the nod because he deemed him to have the best odds of success.
After an inconclusive national election last week, Netanyahu has no obvious path to the 61-seat parliamentary majority required of a coalition government, enjoying the backing of just 55 of its 120 members. It doesn’t look like his opponents are going to budge and next week Netanyahu has a pre-indictment hearing before he will likely be charged in a series of corruption scandals — something that would reshuffle the extremely complicated deck he already has.
Officially, Netanyahu has up to four weeks to present a stable government. President Reuven Rivlin, who is responsible for delegating a leader to form a government, gave Netanyahu the nod because he deemed him to have the best odds of success.
Rivlin can technically extend the window by two weeks, as he did after April’s initial election, but given the current quagmire, Netanyahu is far more likely to return the “mandate” to the president well before then if no breakthrough emerges. Rivlin can then give challenger Benny Gantz a four-week window to try it himself. With only 54 members backing Gantz, he has an equally slim chance of success, which is why Rivlin has been urging the two men to reach some form of unity government to spare the country a dreaded third election in less than a year.
Here’s a look at how it can play out:

Liberman Folds

The impetus for last week’s unprecedented repeat election was maverick politician Avigdor Lieberman. A former aide and ally of Netanyahu’s, he refused to join his government in April because of what he considered to be the excessive influence of its ultra-Orthodox Jewish parties. Lieberman emerged even stronger in last week’s vote with eight seats. Refusing to endorse either candidate, he has stood firm on his demand for a secular unity government between the two major parties, Likud and Gantz’s Blue and White. The simplest way out of the impasse would be a Lieberman flip-flop that would save Netanyahu and give him a solid majority. But the one-time protégé appears bent on taking down his former mentor. The battered Labor party and its six seats could also potentially offer Netanyahu a lifeline, but that seems like even more of a long shot.

Likud Ousts Netanyahu

The main sticking point for Gantz and his centrist Blue and White party is Netanyahu himself. Gantz, a former military chief, has repeatedly vowed he would not ally with a prime minister facing such serious criminal charges . But he’s openly called for a unity government with a Likud party headed by someone else, which would offer the prospect of a broad, stable coalition. An open rebellion is unlikely in a party that values loyalty and has only had four leaders in its 70-plus years of existence. Netanyahu is not only clinging to office for his political survival but also to protect himself as much as he can from prosecution, so he won’t go down without a fight. Unlike a regular Cabinet minister, Netanyahu as prime minister would not be required by Israeli law to step down if he was charged. Still, he will likely face heavy pressure to do so. He still enjoys wide backing in Likud, where he is revered almost like royalty, but if the party sees polls predicting a dramatic downfall in a third round of voting, the long-anticipated uprising could finally start to materialize.

Photo of Benny Gantz
FILE – In this Thursday, Sept. 19, 2019 file photo, Blue and White party leader Benny Gantz delivers a statement in Tel Aviv. For the sixth time in his lengthy political career, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been tasked by Israel’s president to form a new government. This time it’s no mere formality, but rather a daunting endeavor that looks like mission impossible. A unity government between Likud and the Black and White parties, with a rotating leadership, still appears to be the most plausible way out of the gridlock. (AP Photo/Sebastian Scheiner)

Bibi and Benny Compromise

During the ugly campaign, Gantz questioned Netanyahu’s patriotism and Netanyahu questioned his sanity. But in the blood sport that is Israeli politics, such insults are nothing that can’t be overcome. A unity government, with a rotating leadership, still appears to be the most plausible way out of the gridlock.

A unity government, with a rotating leadership, still appears to be the most plausible way out of the gridlock.
Upon appointing Netanyahu prime minister-designate, Rivlin proposed a plan in which both parties would have equal power and Gantz would become prime minister if Netanyahu became legally “incapacitated” within the next year. Likud indicated it was open to the proposal, but Gantz has recanted for now — apparently under pressure from the more anti-Netanyahu forces in his faction. With the clock ticking, he may reconsider.

A Wild Card Emerges

If neither Netanyahu nor Gantz can muster a majority coalition, there is a never-before-used loophole in Israeli law that would allow any lawmaker a three-week period to recruit a 61-seat majority around them. That hypothetical candidate would likely have to come from the right, with the hottest name being former Education Minister Gideon Saar of the Likud. He’s long been considered a potential successor to Netanyahu, despite their rocky relationship. Though a hard-liner, he enjoys a good reputation across the political spectrum, and he seems more of a unifier than Netanyahu. Knesset speaker Yuli Edelstein and Cabinet Minister Gilad Erdan have also been floated as potential heirs. But that would require bypassing Netanyahu and figuring out how to get the rest of Likud’s would-be claimers to the throne to rally around a single candidate.

Photo of Benjamin Netanyahu
FILE – In this Wednesday, Sept. 25, 2109 file photo, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu gives a statement in Jerusalem. For the sixth time in his lengthy political career, Netanyahu has been tasked by Israel’s president to form a new government. This time it’s no mere formality, but rather a daunting endeavor that looks like mission impossible. (AP Photo/Sebastian Scheiner, File)

Elections, Take Three

Each passing day makes the most undesirable outcome appear more likely. No one in the political system favors a third election and the public will certainly be disgusted by another costly, divisive campaign that will just further extend over nine months of government paralysis. Another vote is unlikely to produce a more decisive result, and both sides are already preparing to blame the other for dragging the country through the mud once again. As Rivlin warned, it will be the public who pays the price for it.
“This is a bad situation in a sense that the country must be run by an effective government,” said Gideon Rahat, a Hebrew University professor and senior fellow at the non-partisan Israel Democracy Institute. “On the other hand, if we do cope with these problems, if we continue to fulfill the rules of the game … this at least will tell you that Israeli democracy still operates, more or less, even though there is kind of a crisis.”
[activecampaign form=29]

DON'T MISS

What Are Fresno Real Estate Experts Predicting for 2025 and Beyond?

DON'T MISS

First California EV Mandates Hit Automakers This Year. Most Are Not Even Close

DON'T MISS

Fresno Elderly Woman Evicted, Forced to Leave Dogs Behind. One Still Needs a Home.

DON'T MISS

Virginia Giuffre, Voice in Epstein Sex Trafficking Scandal, Dies at 41

DON'T MISS

California Proposes Allowing Testing of Self-Driving Heavy-Duty Trucks

DON'T MISS

Higher Taxes on Millionaires? Trump Says He’s Open, but Many in His Party Are Not

DON'T MISS

Ex-US Rep. George Santos Sentenced to Over 7 Years in Prison for Fraud and Identity Theft

DON'T MISS

Selma Mayor Charged With Electioneering Violation on Election Day

DON'T MISS

Fresno Air Improves. Where Does It Rank in the US?

DON'T MISS

As Harris Ponders Run for CA Governor, Is She Prepared for the Daunting Job?

DON'T MISS

Stocks Rise With Tech-Related Shares, Notch Weekly Gains; Dollar Up

DON'T MISS

Conflicting US-China Talks Statements Add to Global Trade Confusion

UP NEXT

Fresno Air Improves. Where Does It Rank in the US?

UP NEXT

Conflicting US-China Talks Statements Add to Global Trade Confusion

UP NEXT

China Exempts Some Goods From US Tariffs

UP NEXT

Trump Poised to Offer Saudi Arabia Over $100 Billion Arms Package, Sources Say

UP NEXT

On Major Economic Decisions, Trump Blinks, and Then Blinks Again

UP NEXT

Two From Search Group That Uncovered Mexico’s ‘Ranch of Horror’ Killed

UP NEXT

Chicago Bears Great Steve McMichael Dies at 67 After Battle With ALS

UP NEXT

Long Wait Is Over for Cam Ward, Travis Hunter and Other Draft Prospects Joining the NFL

UP NEXT

Golden State’s Jimmy Butler Injured in Game 2 Loss, His Status for Game 3 Unknown

UP NEXT

Jalen Green Makes Eight 3s to Help Rockets Even Series With Warriors

Higher Taxes on Millionaires? Trump Says He’s Open, but Many in His Party Are Not

15 hours ago

Ex-US Rep. George Santos Sentenced to Over 7 Years in Prison for Fraud and Identity Theft

15 hours ago

Selma Mayor Charged With Electioneering Violation on Election Day

15 hours ago

Fresno Air Improves. Where Does It Rank in the US?

15 hours ago

As Harris Ponders Run for CA Governor, Is She Prepared for the Daunting Job?

16 hours ago

Stocks Rise With Tech-Related Shares, Notch Weekly Gains; Dollar Up

16 hours ago

Conflicting US-China Talks Statements Add to Global Trade Confusion

16 hours ago

Driving Near the Fresno Airport Next Week? Plan for Road Closures

17 hours ago

Misty Her: Push for Fresno Unified Turnaround Starts Now With ‘Boots on the Ground’

17 hours ago

Fresno Police Arrest 17 in Domestic Violence Crackdown

17 hours ago

Fresno Elderly Woman Evicted, Forced to Leave Dogs Behind. One Still Needs a Home.

A Fresno woman’s eviction has left heartbreak in its wake — not just for her, but for the four dogs she was forced to leave behind when auth...

20 minutes ago

After a Fresno woman was evicted and her home padlocked, her four dogs were left behind — and now the last one, a loyal German shepherd named Ginger, is waiting for a new home. (Mell's Mutts)
20 minutes ago

Fresno Elderly Woman Evicted, Forced to Leave Dogs Behind. One Still Needs a Home.

Virginia Roberts Giuffre speaks to reporters in New York on Aug. 27, 2019. Giuffre, a former victim of Jeffrey Epstein’s sex-trafficking ring who said she was “passed around like a platter of fruit” as a teenager to rich and powerful predators, including Prince Andrew of Britain, died on Friday at her farm in Western Australia. She was 41. (Jefferson Siegel/The New York Times)
11 hours ago

Virginia Giuffre, Voice in Epstein Sex Trafficking Scandal, Dies at 41

15 hours ago

California Proposes Allowing Testing of Self-Driving Heavy-Duty Trucks

15 hours ago

Higher Taxes on Millionaires? Trump Says He’s Open, but Many in His Party Are Not

15 hours ago

Ex-US Rep. George Santos Sentenced to Over 7 Years in Prison for Fraud and Identity Theft

Selma Mayor Scott Robertson (left) has been charged with misdemeanor electioneering for allegedly campaigning near voters at a polling place during the November 2024 election. (Facebook)
15 hours ago

Selma Mayor Charged With Electioneering Violation on Election Day

15 hours ago

Fresno Air Improves. Where Does It Rank in the US?

16 hours ago

As Harris Ponders Run for CA Governor, Is She Prepared for the Daunting Job?

Help continue the work that gets you the news that matters most.

Search

Send this to a friend