The Chairman of the Blue & White party, MK Benny Gantz, has now announced he is not ruling out entering into a coalition government with Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu the man, but he is ruling out sitting with “Netanyahu the accused”. His is referring to the fact Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit announced a number of criminal indictments will be filed against Netanyahu, including charges of breach of trust, bribery and fraud.
“I also suggest to Hezbollah and our other enemies not to test the IDF and the State of Israel because any harm that will come to us will be met with a powerful response that they have never seen.”
Gantz made his remarks while visiting the Western Galil on Tuesday, meeting with eleven heads of municipalities, communities categorized as ‘front-line communities’. He was accompanied by some party MKs as well. In his comments addressing the nation’s security, he stated it is imperative that “Israel restore her deterrence power”, citing this must be the case in both the north and south.
Regarding the policy change announced by Defense Minister Naftali Bennet, halting the return of the bodies of any and all terrorists for burial, Gantz stated it was a step in the right direction. “We have captives and MIAs on the other side, and everything must be done, and all efforts must be made to bring them home”, he added.
Gantz also addressed the political stalemate and the likelihood that Israel is heading to a third round of Knesset elections in a one-year period. He pointed out that Netanyahu did not succeed in forming a coalition and that the public voted for Blue & White, which was the largest party following the election.
“Netanyahu faces a heavy legal challenge being the first Prime Minister of the State of Israel accused of bribery, fraud and breach of trust for actions during his tenure as prime minister. We cannot ignore this fact. Therefore, we do not disqualify Netanyahu the man, but we do disqualify Netanyahu who is accused [of the crimes mentioned]”, Gantz added.
“I hope that he is acquitted and can return in two years”, he concluded.
(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)
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One Response
The most likely compromise would be a two-party coalition with a Likud Prime Minister other than Netanyahu. Netanyahu as one of the top ministers (probably foreign affairs or defense), an agreement that Netanyahu doesn’t get kicked out unless convicted — and Gantz gets a top ministry as well.
The problem for Likud is Netanyahu has objected to having a meaningful “number two”. The threat to Likud is if there is another election they will end up as the junior partner to Gantz.