Gantz admits he can’t form government
No closer to solving political deadlock, Israel faces third vote this year
After two deadlocked elections and three failed attempts at forming a government, Israel’s yearlong political paralysis was no closer to a cure on Wednesday, as Benny Gantz, the centrist military leader who had tried to dislodge Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu from power, angrily admitted he had not succeeded. Gantz’s acknowledgment hours before a midnight deadline propelled a deeply divided Israel into a new, uncharted phase of political chaos and increased the likelihood that the country would be forced to hold a third election.
As if that were not enough for Israelis to digest, there were reports Wednesday night that Netanyahu could be indicted on long-expected corruption charges as soon as Thursday, and that Israeli security officials were bracing for an escalation along the northern border after an Israeli airstrike against Iranian forces near Damascus killed at least 21 people.
Gantz, of the Blue and White party, named for the national colours, informed Israel’s president, Reuven Rivlin, that he was returning the mandate to form a government, and then delivered a lengthy denunciation of Netanyahu in a televised news conference.
Directly addressing the prime minister repeatedly, Gantz lambasted Netanyahu for insisting on maintaining his “extremist” right-wing, ultrareligious bloc instead of trying to build a unity government from the centre. And he accused Netanyahu of trying to foment a
“civil war” by scapegoating Arab lawmakers.
“I will not co-operate with an effort to turn the majority of the people to a hostage being held by a small group of extremists,” Gantz said. “I will not be prepared to impose a radical agenda on the majority of the people who have chosen differently. And I will not accept the delegitimacy of any part of the Israeli public.”
Both Gantz and Netanyahu sought to disavow responsibility for pushing the country toward a third election which, financially, will cost Israel more than $750 million (U.S.), equal to about a third of its current budget deficit, as well as the economic loss of giving the country a day off.
“I was prepared to make radical concessions in order to form a stable and unified government,” Gantz said.
Netanyahu, in a video posted on Twitter, insisted that he was “willing without preconditions to enter immediate discussions with you, even tonight, to form a unity government.”
But he insisted that Gantz’s failure was his alone.
In elections in both April and September, Gantz and Netanyahu emerged neck and neck, each falling well short of a majority. Each was given a chance to assemble a majority coalition and failed.
The charge of forming a government now goes to Israel’s Parliament will now have 21 days to come up with a candidate — any candidate, including Netanyahu or Gantz — who could command a 61-seat majority in the 120-seat house.
There had been speculation that Gantz could form a narrow, minority government without Netanyahu and his right-wing and ultra-Orthodox allies. That would have required the support of Arab parties and Avigdor Lieberman’s ultranationalist Yisrael Beiteinu party. On Wednesday, Lieberman ruled out any prospect of going along with that plan.