During a press conference on Wednesday afternoon, the chairman of the Blue and White party, MK Benny Gantz announced that if it were possible to stop the elections and form a national unity coalition government that does not include Netanyahu, he would agree to it
The Chairman of the Blue and White party, MK Benny Gantz, held a press conference in Tel Aviv on Wednesday, during which time he stated that he too would be pleased to prevent the upcoming elections, but this is no longer a possibility. He added that if the election could be canceled and a national unity coalition government established without Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, he would agree to such a move.
Gantz said at the start of his address that Netanyahu is once again leading the spoils against the citizens of Israel, and that for many weeks he failed to form a government. “Netanyahu lost it,” Gantz said. “When he failed to form a government, he acted with all his might, and personally voted to dissolve the Knesset and led the State of Israel to an expensive and unnecessary election campaign together with the Likud and other factions”.
Gantz went on to say that if Netanyahu had not dragged Israel into elections, he would have accepted the mandate from the president who would have given him the responsibility to form a government, and he would have succeeded. “Netanyahu knew this and now the entire political establishment understands this” he added, continuing “By dissolving the Knesset, he eliminated the option of forming a government that would work for Israeli citizens and send the year 2019 to economic, social and governmental ruin. He pressed the Knesset dispersion button and there is no turning back”.
Ganz attacked and said that what we saw in the past two days is another spin from Netanyahu’s house of cards. “Netanyahu sees polls and invents lies. Responsibility cannot be redeemed. Netanyahu imposed this reality and he cannot transfer the blame to others or make cynical use of a state institution like the Knesset speaker”.
Gantz also said that “Throughout the coalition negotiations, even though we are the largest faction in the Knesset, he did not negotiate with us because he preferred Smotrich. His only goal was to create a coalition that would allow him to advance the law to diminish the High Court’s authority and the Immunity Law to protect himself”.
Gantz said that he held the press conference to air his words without intermediaries or rumors, and that if there was a legal option and a unity government could be formed without Netanyahu, he would seriously consider it. “Now the reality is difficult but simple. On 17 September there will be elections, this is the situation, we are prepared, and we will win”.
Gantz was asked about Barak’s planned return to the political system and said that any split he would make in the center-left bloc could hurt the chances of toppling Netanyahu.
(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)
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3 Responses
he is talking as if he will get in.
By definition, a “national unity” government brings together all major parties. If he excludes Natanyahu he is excluding a major group, so whatever it would be, it would not be a “national unity” coalition.
Gantz is an opportunist. His platform is converged with the anti-religious, liberal, and inexperienced political “alternative” to Likud. It doesn’t seem to me he has any real vision of an Israel that can be sustaining. Taking crack shots at Netanyahu makes him out to be a negativist, not a visionary. What he doesn’t say, is that his party sought a united coalition without Bibi and without the religious, so that they could undermine Likud and take power. Where’s his proven leadership in government? I don’t think he or his roster of military and liberal wannabes qualify for PM. Bibi is not invincible, but with his great diplomacy with the US, Russia, India,, Sunni states, and China, Bibi has shown exceptional foreign skills, together with his economic facilitation, and security. Eventually, Bibi must pass the torch, but I doubt Gantz is qualified to wear the belt. Perhaps after leading the opposition for a few years and demonstrating the right skill sets.