The Israeli government is on the verge of collapse

Jerusalem – Israel seems to be heading for its fourth election in two years. The divided government faced a midnight deadline to approve a budget. Otherwise, it will automatically collapse and trigger elections at the end of March.

The prospect of new elections seems to be bad news for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, whose 11-year government is suddenly threatened by a trio of dissatisfied former leaders at the head of rival parties, a corruption process and the coronavirus health crisis.

His former collaborators share his harsh ideology, including a popular parliamentarian who recently broke up with the prime minister’s Likud party. Whether or not Netanyahu can defend himself against these rivals, the country will almost certainly be led by a right-wing politician who opposes granting concessions to the Palestinians, complicating the hopes of the future administration of US President-elect Joe Biden. resume peace talks.

The early collapse of the government could also mean the end of the short political career of Defense Minister Benny Gantz, whose popularity has plummeted.

The outlook for Israel’s center-left bloc looks worse than in previous races, as its leader, Gantz, has created an alliance with Netanyahu that is now raging. Gantz lost the support of many bases and the bloc was left without a leader.

Netanyahu and Gantz formed their coalition in May, after fighting in three consecutive elections for a stalemate.

The immediate cause of the expected collapse on Tuesday is the failure to approve a budget before midnight. This will certainly lead to the automatic dissolution of Parliament and the convening of new elections by the end of March.

But the event did reflect the failure of an association affected by hostility and mutual distrust from the beginning. For seven months, Gantz suffered a series of humiliations and remained on the sidelines of key decisions, such as a series of diplomatic agreements negotiated by the United States with Arab countries.

Netanyahu accused Gantz’s Blue and White Party of acting as an “opposition within the government.”