The political analysts are having a field day this week as they ask if Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu is genuine in his call to Yisrael Beitenu to accept the new amended chareidi draft law or not. Most feel PM Netanyahu is not genuine, as he much prefers early elections, however, he does not wish to be perceived as the person/party causing the early elections. Therefore, now that the chareidim have come around and accepted a compromise draft bill, it remains in the hands of Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman to determine if he too will accept the compromise, for if not, PM Netanyahu will announce early elections.

Netanyahu has announced that he will not seek to run the nation with a 61 seat majority, which would be the case should Lieberman’s party not accept the compromise draft bill. Interestingly, one may question what benefit Lieberman sees in elections, as all the polls clearly place him at fewer or the same number of seats that he enjoys in the current Knesset. Why push for elections when you do not seem to gain?

PM Netanyahu in Knesset on Monday stated, “The tzibur knows how to determine between your never-ending complaints and our accomplishments…I call on my colleagues, first and foremost Avigdor Lieberman and heads of the chareidi parties and I say, ‘the hour is late, but not too late’.

Many feel the above statements are ingenuine and clearly, Mr. Netanyahu wants to move ahead to early elections, as soon as this coming June. If the elections do not proceed and the Attorney General’s announcement in cases against Mr. Netanyahu occur, then early elections would no longer benefit him.

Others commented during the Knesset session on Monday as well, including DM Lieberman, who stated, “We don’t want elections and we don’t want to break the coalition, but there is no such thing ‘at any price’.

Machane Tzioni party MK Tzipi Livni added, You want elections before the tzibur learns the truth about your corruption.

Opposition leader MK Yitzchak Herzog added, You want elections to be certain to try to get reelected before the attorney general reaches a decision in your cases.

(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)