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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Wednesday that there are security challenges facing Israel in addition to the Corona pandemic, along with the move by lawmakers, supported by Netanyahu’s top partner in the ruling coalition, to pass a preliminary proposal to dissolve the Knesset in preparation for snap elections.
Netanyahu sent a message to Defense Minister Benny Gantz, asking him to stop going to the election and to act differently.
“It is forbidden to attract Israel to new elections, and we must work for unity, security, stability and peace, and provide Corona vaccines,” Netanyahu said.
“The Israeli public expects something more from the government and expects a government that will work together responsibly to find vaccines,” Netanyahu added, noting that “Corona does not differentiate between right and left and that the only way to overcome it is unity.”
The Israeli prime minister stressed that “Gantz is being dragged behind the opposition leader Yair Lapid and the leader of the right-wing party Naftali Bennett.”
Netanyahu’s speech came after the Knesset plenary committee approved the preliminary reading of a bill submitted by opposition parties to dissolve the Knesset, which garnered the support of 61 out of 120 votes.
Thus, Israel has taken a big step towards holding its fourth general election in less than two years, just 7 months after the ruling coalition took power and declared national unity to tackle the emerging coronavirus pandemic.
But since then, the coalition between Netanyahu’s “Likud” party and Defense Minister Benny Gantz, “Blue and White,” has entered an infighting.
The vote only gave initial approval to break the coalition and hold new elections early next year. The legislation will now be referred to a parliamentary committee before the Knesset as a whole gives final approval, possibly next week.
Meanwhile, Gantz and Netanyahu are expected to continue negotiations, in a last-ditch effort to preserve their troubled coalition.
Joining the opposition in a vote on Wednesday, Gantz’s party expressed its displeasure with Netanyahu, accusing him of putting his personal interests before the interests of the country.
Netanyahu is on trial on a series of corruption charges, and Gantz accuses the prime minister of obstructing a major government action, which is to pass the general budget, in hopes of stalling or canceling legal proceedings against him.
And if the 2020 budget is not approved by December 23, Israeli law provides for the automatic dissolution of the Knesset and the holding of new elections.
