Netanyahu faces down coalition partners’ election calls
Israeli premier fighting to stay in power after Hamas deal criticism
BENJAMIN NETANYAHU faces a showdown with his coalition government partners today as he tries to stop them from forcing early elections in the wake of his unpopular decision to agree to a ceasefire with Hamas.
Three of the smaller parties in the prime minister’s coalition have demanded elections as soon as possible and want to use today’s cabinet meeting to formally agree on a date for the vote.
However, Mr Netanyahu said he wants to keep the government together and is eager to push the elections off for several more months.
“Prime Minister Netanyahu stressed that it is important to make every effort to preserve the Right-wing government,” said a spokesman for his Likud party.
He is hoping a delayed election will leave more time for the Right-wing voters of his base to forget about last week’s ceasefire with Hamas to stop fighting in Gaza.
Many Israelis on the Right wanted to see their forces move more aggressively against the Islamist militants, who fired around 460 rockets and mortars into southern Israel.
Mr Netanyahu’s defence minister resigned over the ceasefire and civilians in the city of Sderot – which is regularly targeted by Hamas rockets – burned tyres and blocked streets in protest.
If the prime minister holds his ground and refuses to grant elections, then coalition party leaders face a choice: they can stay in the government and allow Mr Netanyahu to limp on or leave and bring the coalition crashing down. The smaller parties may be loathe to do the latter as it will allow Mr Netanyahu to present himself as a responsible leader who tried to maintain Israel’s stability while other parties clamoured for elections.
The two sides may reach a compromise where Mr Netanyahu agrees to elections but on a longer timetable, which favours his interests.
Mr Netanyahu goes into the cabinet facing off against three of his own ministers. His main irritant is Naftali Bennett, the 46-year-old education minister and leader of the Right-wing Jewish Home party.
Mr Bennet, who was once Mr Netanyahu’s chief of staff, is trying chip away Right-wing voters from Likud by promising a tougher line against Hamas.
The two men have a frosty relationship, with Mr Netanyahu’s allies accusing Mr Bennett of leaking cabinet meeting material to undermine the prime minister.
Despite the chaos in the coalition and the corruption scandal swirling around him and his wife, Mr Netanyahu appears well placed to win an election and form a new Right-wing government.
A poll for Israel’s Channel 2 found that Likud would win 29 seats, making it by far the biggest party. The centrist Yesh Atid would take 18 seats while the centre-Left Zionist Union would win 11.
Mr Netanyahu has been prime minister since 2009 and served a three-year stint as prime minister in the late Nineties. The current coalition has 61 seats in the 120seat parliament.