With the unofficial final results in from the Knesset election last week, President Reuven Rivlin on Sunday began consultations with representative of the various political parties, including two largest parties; Blue & White, the largest, and the ruling Likud party, which fell behind in the race.
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Israel’s largely ceremonial president is tasked with picking the politician with the best chance of forming a stable coalition government. While usually a mere formality, this time Rivlin plays a key role after an election result in which neither of the top candidates has an outright majority.
Naturally, Blue & White recommended that Gantz be given the mandate to form a government, while Likud told Rivlin that it should be given to Netanyahu.
Most significant though was the news on Sunday afternoon from the Joint Arab List which met with Rivlin and recommended Gantz. This is the first time that the Arab List is willing to sit in an Israeli Government.
“For us, the most important thing is removing Benjamin Netanyahu from power… so we will recommend Benny Gantz to form the next government,” Joint List leader Ayman Odeh tells Rivlin.
This now gives Gantz 57 MKs recommending him as prime minister, to 55 backing incumbent Benjamin Netanyahu.
In addition, MK Avigdor Lieberman, who heads the Yisrael Beitenu party, has announced he is only willing to enter such an arrangement and he will not join a coalition effort by either of the parties independent of the other.
Liberman rules out Netanyahu because of the premier’s agreement with Chareidim, and says he can’t recommend Gantz because he’s “preserving the option” of forming a government with the Chareidim and/or the predominantly Arab Joint List.
The chareidim have stated they will only recommend Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu to receive the presidential mandate to form a coalition, with Shas Chairman Aryeh Deri reiterating this on Sunday. That said, at present, if the Joint Arab List recommends Gantz, he will have the largest party as well as the most parties recommend that he receives the presidential mandate.
(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)
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7 Responses
From here on there are two options:
1) Rivlin gives the mandae to Gantz who will ultimately fail to form a coalition as the arabs will not actually join a gov’t & Liberman wouldn’t join the arabs anyway. After Gantz fails there will either be a 3rd election or Rivlin will be forced to ask Bibi to form a gov’t.
2) Rivlin works out a compromise between Bibi & Gantz (Bibi 1st Gantz 2nd rotation ) who will then form a gov’t with the chareidim. They will probably drop Yair Lapid off at the nearest dump, or more likely they will allow him to leave with much yelling and screaming as is his style.
In both scenarios Liberman will sit in the opposition (unless he somehow gets off his high horse about controlling the chareidim, even so he won’t get much in return as they will have a solid majority without him).
Pro-tip: Stock up o your popcorn (Arabs & Liberman fighting for opposition leader status)
Thanks Itamar ben Gvir, now the arabs will be part of the ruling government thanks to you and Liberalman! Israel, like Iran, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Egypt all governed by arabs – some more powerful others, as in our case, less powerful but wholly not insignificant nonetheless! Your lack of ahavat yisrael and lack of love for the Jewish nation has come home to roost!
Whoever voted center left is a turncoat.
“In addition, MK Avigdor Lieberman, who heads the Yisrael Beitenu party, has announced he is only willing to enter such an arrangement and he will not join a coalition effort by either of the parties independent of the other”.
COULD YOU PLEASE REWRITE THE ABOVE AS NOBODY CAN UNDERSTAND WHAT IS WRITTEN? THE BEGINNING CONTRADICTS THE END. THANKS!
So Gantz would form a government with arabs but not with chareidim……
Nice.
Michael2; That’s par for the course when using Google translate!
Thank you, michael2. On the other hand, do we really need to know what YWN illiterate, inarticulate reporters and editors think?