Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former rival Benny Gantz failed to agree on a government "United and urgent", in the midst of the coronavirus crisis, following their ultimatum on Thursday, April 16, to try to put an end to the longest political crisis in the history of Israel.
After 16 months of transitional government, three most improbable and sometimes most desperate legislative elections and twists and turns for some Israelis, the teams of MM. Netanyahu, 70, and Gantz, 60, reunited Wednesday evening after the end of the Jewish Passover festivities, Passover.
With the consent of a majority of parliamentarians after the March 2 legislative elections, President Reuven Rivlin had given Mr. Gantz the mandate to form the next government. And the latter had caused surprise by saying that he accepted to form a government with Benjamin Netanyahu, which he had previously refused, accusing the Prime Minister in particular of corruption.
During the past two weeks, the two have multiplied the talks to the point where, after the expiration of the mandate of Mr. Gantz, Monday evening, the president had decided in extremis to put a token in the negotiation machine thus granting the two leaders until midnight local time on Wednesday (11 p.m. in Paris) to find a government agreement.
But after midnight, Mr. Gantz’s mandate has expired, a source in the presidency confirmed to Agence France-Presse. In theory, the Israeli president could ask parliamentarians to recommend another elected official to try to form a government and get Israel out of an unprecedented political crisis, in the midst of the new coronavirus crisis which has infected more than 12,000 people there. , of which 130 have died.
Points of disagreement
The past few weeks have shown tensions between the Netanyahu and Gantz camps over the choice, in particular, of the future Minister of Justice, who will be in charge during the trial of Netanyahu, prosecuted for corruption, embezzlement and breach of trust in three cases.
The trial of the longest serving prime minister in the history of Israel with 14 years in power was scheduled to begin in mid-March. But containment measures to try to contain the Covid-19 crisis forced, as in many countries, the closure of the courts and therefore the postponement of the trial.
Disagreements also seem to persist on the appointment of a defense minister – Mr. Gantz and his acolyte Gaby Ashkenazi being ex-chiefs of staff -, as well as on the project to annex the Jordan Valley in the occupied West Bank.
"Hour of Truth"
Benny Gantz, who until a short time ago refused to participate in a government led by Netanyahu because of his indictment for corruption, was watered in after he was initially appointed to form the government. , at least in the short term, to his plan to become prime minister and by consenting to participate in a government led by Benjamin Netanyahu.
"Netanyahu, we have arrived at the hour of truth"said Gantz this week, whose plan to form a government with his rival contributed to the implosion of his own centrist coalition Kahol Lavan (Bleu-Blanc). Tenors of his party refused to join him in his policy of reaching out to Mr. Netanyahu, who now faces a weakened opposition.
After these rounds of discussions without convincing results, many editorialists wonder about the intentions of the outgoing Prime Minister: Benjamin Netanyahu really wants to share power with Benny Gantz?
Raising moreover on very favorable opinion polls which approve its management of the pandemic – Israel having been named the safest country, before Germany, according to a study of the consortium DKV -, the Prime Minister could play the wait-and-see attitude in order to provoke a fourth election and remain by then in power.
