Israel will have new election in March - fourth in two years

 

January 1, 2021

Adam Shuldman/Flash90

Election campaign posters in Tel Aviv depict Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as well as the leaders of the Blue and White Party, Sept. 19.

(JTA & JNS) - Israel's Knesset, or parliament, dissolved Tuesday night after failing to pass the 2020 budget, triggering the need for a new election.

The exact date could change through a government vote. However, since a new election must take place three months after the collapse of the Knesset, the next round is scheduled for March 23.

The election will be Israel's fourth in two years.

The move came after weeks of infighting and paralysis amid the so-called unity government that was formed last spring by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of the Likud Party and Defense Minister Benny Gantz of Blue and White, which had turned Likud's chief rival into a coalition partner.

Netanyahu blamed him for the collapse, saying "I didn't want elections. Likud didn't want elections. We voted again and again against elections," he said. "Benny Gantz walked back his agreements with us."

A coalition formed earlier this year by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the centrist Blue and White leader Benny Gantz had been shaky from the start, as Netanyahu balked at the stipulation that Gantz become prime minister after 18 months. The two also fought publicly about a range of issues.

While Likud held up budget talks, Blue and White refused to budge on compromises regarding key justice appointments, including for attorney general and state attorney.

While Gantz had been Netanyahu's chief political opponent in the past three elections, polls show that his Blue and White Party will barely pass the threshold for the next election. Instead, the prime minister faces his stiffest challenge from rivals on the right, including former Likud minister Gideon Sa'ar, who recently established his New Hope Party, and Yamina leader Naftali Bennett.

The election will take place amid the backdrop of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic as well as Netanyahu's own corruption trial, which is scheduled to move into the courtroom early next year.

In an address on Tuesday night, Netanyahu touted his achievements battling COVID-19, as well as forging normalization deals with Arab countries. He assured that Likud would have a "huge win."

"The majority of the citizens of Israel see our leadership and our tremendous achievements," he said in a televised address on Tuesday evening. "We are bringing in millions of vaccinations, delivering historic peace agreements, curbing the Iranian threat and turning Israel into one of the world's leading economies."

This article is a compilation of stories from Jewish Telegraphic Agency and the Jewish News Service.

 

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