Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former coalition partner, blue and white leader Benny Gantz, have tried to blame each other for the collapse of their seven-month government. “Blue and white withdrew from the agreements [to modify the original coalition agreement] and dragged us to unnecessary elections during the crown crisis, “said Netanyahu, who became the first Israeli to receive the Covid-19 vaccine on Saturday night.” We don’t want elections and we voted against it … but we’re not afraid of elections – because we will win! “
Gantz, referring to the corruption allegations facing Netanyahu, said: “I regret that the Prime Minister is concerned about his process and not the public interest and is ready to shoot the whole country in a period of uncertainty, instead of to ensure economic stability and economic rehabilitation. “
After three inconclusive elections and the first wave of the coronavirus pandemic underway, Gantz agreed to join Netanyahu in April in what has been described as an “emergency” coalition government – even though he campaigned on a platform that ruled out sitting with the prime minister while facing allegations of corruption.
Under the agreement, the prime minister would have been rotated between the two party leaders: Netanyahu will serve first, and then give way to Gantz after 18 months. The only shortcoming in the complicated deal was whether lawmakers failed to accept a budget before Tuesday’s midnight deadline – a failure that has now occurred.
The fate of the government appeared sealed after the Knesset failed on Tuesday, in the early hours of Tuesday, to pass a bill in first reading that would have extended the deadline to reach a budget agreement.
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 on Monday night: “Prime Minister, who are you? you don’t care about mutation [of coronavirus]. You only care about rotation [of the prime ministership]. “
Opinion polls suggest Netanyahu’s Likud party is once again on track to win the most Knesset seats in the next election. With the support of the blue and white hemorrhage, his biggest rivals would seem to come from other right-wing parties, which have gained ground over Israel’s longest-serving leader.