Israel Narrowly Avoids 4th Election in 2 Years

Israel Narrowly Avoids 4th Election in 2 Years After Government Signs Budget Deadline Extension as Widespread Protests Continue Over

The budget dispute between Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and Rotational Prime Minister Benny Gantz almost lead to 4th elections but was narrowly avoided by a compromise on the date of the deadline. Netanyahu has faced harsh criticism and widespread protests over his management of the economic crisis brought on by coronavirus. Israel successfully defeated coronavirus early on bringing cases down to around 20 per day however a second wave has recently plagued the country leading to over one thousand new daily cases and hundreds of new deaths in the past several weeks. Many of the protesters claim that Netanyahu is out of touch with the people and that he is simply trying to hold onto power despite allegations of corruption and dwindling support. Polling however, shows that support for Netanyahu’s Likud party has not changed much but support for the right wing bloc has increased significantly, with Naftali Bennett’s Rightist Yaminah party polling at record high levels. Bennett’s

willingness to criticize Netanyahu’s political maneuvering and his clear suggestions for keeping Israelis healthy while also tending to the economy have made him a popular alternative for Bibi on the right and despite being in the opposition in Knesset some of his coronavirus policy suggestions have made their way into the unity government’s coronavirus policy. Some analysts suggest that Bibi’s hesitance to agree with Gantz’s proposed budget was due to a political calculation that early elections could help Bibi form a right wing populist government with Bennett and without ever having to hand the premiership over to Benny Gantz.

https://www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog-august-23-2020/

Written by:

Noam Kaplan

Engagement Chair, TFI