Israeli Politics Remain in Chaos After Deadlocked Election
gvw_ap_news
By Associated Press
Published 4 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

Will FUSD Trustees Look First Only at Internal Candidates in Superintendent Search?

DON'T MISS

Putin Extends Rule in Preordained Russian Election After Harshest Crackdown Since Soviet Era

DON'T MISS

JCF Restricts Donations to Jewish Voice for Peace Amid Israeli-Palestinian Conflict

DON'T MISS

Brothers Say They Found Amelia Earhart’s Plane, Will Donate It to Smithsonian

DON'T MISS

UN Says ‘Famine Is Imminent’ in Northern Gaza as Israel Launches Another Raid on the Main Hospital

DON'T MISS

These Fresno Eclipse Chasers Are Hoping For 4 Minutes of Darkened Bliss in Texas

DON'T MISS

India’s New Citizenship Law Excludes Muslims. Here’s What to Know

DON'T MISS

US, G-7 Allies Warn Iran to Back Off Deal to Provide Russia Ballistic Missiles or Face New Sanctions

DON'T MISS

Palestinian Leader Appoints Longtime Adviser as Prime Minister in the Face of Calls for Reform

DON'T MISS

Gaza’s Cancer Patients Denied Life-Saving Treatment Amid Border Restrictions

No data was found

The 49ers Have Been Docked a 2025 Fifth-Round Draft Pick for an Accounting Error

10 hours ago

Fresno Bank Sued. It Allegedly Helped Bitwise Commit Fraud.

Bitwise /

10 hours ago

How California’s Prized Solution for Methane Gas Is Backfiring on Farmers

Environment /

13 hours ago

Supreme Court Seems Favorable to Biden Administration Over Efforts to Combat Social Media Posts

14 hours ago

Putin Extends Rule in Preordained Russian Election After Harshest Crackdown Since Soviet Era

14 hours ago

Ohtani to Begin Throwing Program Soon. Roberts Hints Dodgers Star Might Play in the Field

14 hours ago

Trump: Some Migrants Are ‘Not People’, There’ll Be a ‘Bloodbath’ if I Lose

14 hours ago

Tech Lawyer and Philanthropist Nicole Shanahan Rumored as RFK Jr.’s VP Pick

News /

15 hours ago

March Madness is Here. UConn, Purdue, Houston and North Carolina Get Top Seeding in NCAA Tournament

15 hours ago

Crafts Retailer Joann Files for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy as Consumers Cut Back on Pandemic-Era Hobbies

15 hours ago

Records Show That Valley Children’s Leader Suntrapak’s Pay Exceeds $5 Million

■Valley Children’s paid CEO Todd Suntrapak $5.2 million in 2021. The hospital also gave him a $5 million forgivable home loan. ■The Va...
Healthcare /

9 hours ago

Healthcare /
9 hours ago

Records Show That Valley Children’s Leader Suntrapak’s Pay Exceeds $5 Million

Local Education /
10 hours ago

3 Valley Schools Honored by State as Model Community Day Schools

Local Education /
10 hours ago

Will FUSD Trustees Look First Only at Internal Candidates in Superintendent Search?

10 hours ago

The 49ers Have Been Docked a 2025 Fifth-Round Draft Pick for an Accounting Error

Bitwise /
10 hours ago

Fresno Bank Sued. It Allegedly Helped Bitwise Commit Fraud.

Environment /
13 hours ago

How California’s Prized Solution for Methane Gas Is Backfiring on Farmers

14 hours ago

Supreme Court Seems Favorable to Biden Administration Over Efforts to Combat Social Media Posts

14 hours ago

Putin Extends Rule in Preordained Russian Election After Harshest Crackdown Since Soviet Era

Search