On March 21, 2020, immediately after the end of the third round of elections, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stood in front of the cameras and promised Kabel with a committee for Bnei Gantz that if the latter agreed to a “national emergency” government, Netanyahu would vacate his seat after a year and a half. . Well, since Gantz fell into his trap, or some would say between Netanyahu’s jaws, there has not been a day that Netanyahu and his loyalists have not tried to change the agreement and repeal the rotation clause. The prime minister, who promised an “emergency” government to deal with the corona crisis on its various derivatives and pass a biennial budget, did everything he could to dissolve his commitments and to rape his “partner” to agree to any whim he could help him in his legal affairs, or as he said. Someone “if there was no rotation, there would be a budget.”
On Monday, Netanyahu convened a press conference in which he accused Blue and White of dispersing the Knesset, claiming that Ganz had withdrawn from the agreements between them. Technically he is right (this time). Netanyahu and Gantz have reached an agreement that they will postpone the budget hearing for another week and that Gantz will agree to replace Avi Nissenkorn with someone else on his behalf as Minister of Justice. Bnei Gantz was left with a dwindling party whose rifts are multiplying day by day, at some point he realized that if he dared to bring these agreements to his friends, he would be left without friends and without a party.
And if we go back to the real reason – with the formation of the government in May, it was determined in accordance with the coalition agreement that the state budget for 2019 will be approved by August, in the form of a biennial budget. Immediately after the swearing-in of the government, the Likud withdrew and demanded approval of a budget for only one year, which would have allowed a withdrawal from the rotation agreement between Netanyahu and Ganz. In blue and white they refused the new and “surprising” demand and the state budget was not before. The famous “Hauser compromise” from August, artificially extended the life of the government, by amending the Basic Law of the Knesset, and allowed the postponement of the budget and its approval in the Knesset until December 23. It is important to mention that at this stage the last approved budget was for 2018, meaning that the State of Israel has been running for two years without a state budget!
Gideon Saar.
So what happened now that we are going to the elections? Another bill (compromise) that would have given a further extension to approve the budget until Thursday, December 31, fell on first reading, with a majority of 49 opponents against 47 supporters. The proposal included the approval of the 2020 budget on the last day of the year (!) And the approval of the 2021 budget a week later (tricks and tricks, have we already said?). Once the proposal has fallen, it cannot be raised again and therefore the vote on the budget cannot be postponed.
A number of missing persons operated under the radar of the coalition chairman and prime minister. Blue and White had three “rebels” who were tired of the government, Assaf Zamir, Miki Haimovich and Ram Shefa, who, unlike their friends who were simply absent from the vote, waited for the gym and voted for the plenum to vote in the storm and MK Michal Shir, who is one of Gideon Saar . She also includes MKs Yifat Shasha-Bitton and Sharan Hashakel, who were also absent from the vote and also join Gideon Saar.
Netanyahu put his trust in his new friend, Abbas Mansour, and his collaborators from the joint list, who cooperate with him, to the displeasure of the other members of the joint list, but Abbas and his friends, who were sure that the vote was over, left the Knesset before the vote and drama ended. The great one that took place.
Bnei Gantz.
And what now? The election takes place exactly 90 days after the dissolution of the Knesset, on Tuesday, March 23, 2021, but the interesting date is February 4, which is the last date for submitting the lists to the Central Election Commission. Already now everyone is stirring the cauldron and the hidden rabbi over the visible – Naftali Bennett, who was badly hurt by Gideon Saar’s resignation from the Likud and his announcement that he will run for prime minister, announced a special press conference (column written, light for Wednesday) and it is not impossible that after the damage Will announce that he too has come to replace Netanyahu. Many politicians are anxious about their fate – will the Likud hold primaries, as is customary ?! The Likud constitution is the main factor in shedding new blood in the Likud’s arteries, but it is not certain that incumbent Knesset members will push for it, since they may find themselves outside the Knesset. The joint list is on the verge of dissolution due to the affair between Mansour Abbas, the chairman of the RAAM party, and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and it is not at all clear whether he will run in the current composition as a joint list. The big missing is what will fill the space left behind by blue and white – many names roam the space, the most prominent of which are Ofer Shelach, Ron Huldai, Gadi Eisenkot and Tzipi Livni. Many Knesset members will not stay in blue and white today and will look for a new political home for them. Many voters are looking for a new address, which this time may not disappoint and meet its commitments to its electorate. It is difficult to know what will happen, but until the fourth date in February 2021, we will hear about many names joining this or that list, new parties and parties merging into lists that will run for the Knesset.
And what about the corona? She will have to wait a bit. We will continue to follow and update.