Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced Sunday that he had accepted a proposal to extend budget negotiations, and prevented the government from collapsing and plunging the country into a new electoral mandate.
In a national television address, Netanyahu said now was not the time to drag the country into its fourth parliamentary election in less than two years.
“Now is the time for unity, not for elections,” he said.
Netanyahu and his rival and coalition partner, Benny Gantz, had a deadline of Monday night to agree on a budget. Otherwise, the government would have collapsed, which would automatically trigger a new vote.
Netanyahu said that after an agreement to establish official relations with the United Arab Emirates and with the country struggling with a coronavirus outbreak, he felt it was wrong to go to the polls.
He said he accepted a compromise that would give the parties an extra 100 days to reach a budget agreement and, in the meantime, direct spending after wrestling with areas of the economy and society.
His announcement came after Israeli lawmakers spent most of the day unreservedly trying to reach a compromise.
The current political crisis the Prime Minister is facing against rival-turned-partner Gantz is demonstrable over the national budget.
But the crisis has deeper roots in the troubled collaboration between Netanyahu and Gantz, economic problems stemming from the outbreak of the country’s coronavirus and the Prime Minister’s ongoing corruption test. Critics accuse Netanyahu of using the budget battle to force a new election in the hope of securing a friendlier parliament that could help solve his legal problems.
After three deadlock elections, Netanyahu and Gantz reached a power-sharing agreement in April to form a government to tackle the virus crisis. As part of their coalition agreement, Netanyahu’s Likud Party and Gantz’s Blue and White voted in favor of a two-year budget.
But Netanyahu has insisted on passing on a budget to cover only the rest of 2020, saying it will provide immediate aid to the economy. Gantz is confident the government will honor his agreement and one by 2020 and 2021. For their disagreement, the country has once again brought the country to the brink of political meltdown.
The Knesset, as parliament, must pass legislation in two rounds of voting rights before Monday night’s deadline.
But by pushing back the deadline, the budget crisis would only get in the way. The two parties are aware of several important issues – including judicial appointments and the annexation of settlements on the West Bank – and the government has been tainted by influence. Gantz also complained that Netanyahu left him and Foreign Minister Gabi Ashkenazi in the dark over the deal announced earlier this month to normalize relations with the United Arab Emirates.
If the budget term is not postponed, and new elections are postponed, the country would be plunged into deep economic and crises in public health and even though the Prime Minister is on trial for corruption.
Netanyahu is accused of fraud, delay and accepting bribes in three separate cases. His criminal trial began in May, but he has refused to resign and denies any wrongdoing.
At the same time, Israel has recorded more than 102,000 confirmed cases of coronavirus and more than 830 deaths. Unemployment remains higher than 20% despite the resumption of government economy in May, after a more than month-long closure.
Netanyahu has faced intense criticism over his government’s handling of the crisis, and the largest persistent protests against its leadership in nearly a decade. On Saturday, an estimated 10,000 people took part in a weekly protest outside the prime minister’s official residence in Jerusalem, calling on Netanyahu to resign.
However, recent polls suggest Netanyahu would score a big victory if snap elections were held. By dissolving the government, Netanyahu would prevent Gantz from giving the premiership in November 2021 as required by the coalition agreement.
Netanyahu appears determined to remain prime minister – and therefore not legally obliged to resign under indictment – for the duration of his trial, which is expected to take several years.
