Israeli government set to collapse, trigger new elections

JERUSALEM (AP) — Israel’s divided government was heading toward collapse at midnight Tuesday, a step that would trigger the country’s fourth election in under two years and pose an unprecedented threat to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s lengthy grip on power.

Netanyahu used to label his opponents as weak “leftists,” finds himself confronted by a trio of disgruntled former aides who share his hard-line ideology, led by a popular lawmaker who recently broke away from the prime minister’s Likud party.

Whether Netanyahu can fend off these challengers or not, the country is almost certain to be led by a right-wing politician opposed to concessions to the Palestinians, complicating hopes by the incoming Biden administration to restart peace talks.

The prospects of Israel’s center-left bloc appear worse than in previous contests because its leader, Defence Minister Benny Gantz, entered into an ill-fated alliance with Netanyahu that is now crumbling.

Gantz lost the support of much of his base, and the bloc has been left leaderless.

Netanyahu and Gantz formed their coalition last May after battling to a stalemate in three consecutive elections.

They said they were putting aside their personal rivalry to form an “emergency” government focused on guiding the country through the health and economic crises caused by the pandemic.

Under the deal, Gantz assumed the new role of “alternate prime minister” and was assured he would trade places with Netanyahu next November in a rotation agreement halfway through their term.

The immediate cause of Tuesday’s expected collapse was their failure to pass a budget by a midnight deadline.

That would cause the parliament to automatically dissolve and set new elections for late March.

But it really reflected the failure of a partnership plagued by mutual hostility and mistrust from the outset.

For seven months, Gantz has suffered a number of humiliations and been kept out of the loop on key decisions, such as a series of US-brokered diplomatic agreements with Arab countries.

Netanyahu accuses Gantz’s Blue and White party of acting as an “opposition within the government.”

At the heart of this dysfunctional relationship is Netanyahu’s corruption trial.

Gantz has accused Netanyahu of undermining their power-sharing deal in hopes of remaining in office throughout his trial, which is to kick into high gear in February when witnesses begin to take the stand.

He and other critics believe Netanyahu ultimately hopes to form a new government capable of appointing loyalists who could grant him immunity or dismiss the charges against him.

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