Israeli elections: Rearranging deck chairs on the Titanic

[TomSea]

I'm not sure about the headline but to read what the author is talking about is fascinating and information that many of certainly would not immediately know. Not too complex to understand though.

Excerpt:

Israeli elections: Rearranging deck chairs on the Titanic
 Richard Silverstein
18 September 2019 13:24 UTC | Last update: 9 hours 58 min ago
Regardless of what new coalition government emerges, Israel has broken no new ground on resolving its largest problem

...

The political kingmaker today, as he was last April, is Avigdor Lieberman of Yisrael Beiteinu. In the last election, he refused to offer his party's seats to a Likud-led coalition headed by his once-patron and now arch-rival, Benjamin Netanyahu. This is what led to the current round of voting.

Though it is hard to predict what Lieberman will do, he is holding out for a secular “unity government” consisting of Likud and Blue and White. His main aims are to keep the Orthodox parties out of the ruling coalition and pass a military draft law to compel currently-exempt Orthodox youth to join the army.

Path to a coalition

This plan is vehemently opposed by the ultra-Orthodox, who maintain that studying the Torah is the only suitable vocation for men. They view joining the army as a grave desecration of their divine obligations. In the past, they have closed down major highways and rioted during protests against this law.

Read more at: https://www.middleeasteye.net/opinion/israeli-elections-rearranging-deck-chairs-titanic

Middle East Eye are biased against Israel in my view but repeating, this above is intriguing.

[Right_in_Virginia]

Netanyahu urges coalition with Gantz and the right, which vows to back him as PM
Times of Israel, Sep 19, 2019

PM invites Gantz to unity talks ‘without preconditions,’ but has locked in support from right-wing, Haredi parties; Blue and White: PM knows he’s lost, is scheming for 3rd election

The leaders of all the parties in the right-wing religious bloc on Thursday signed a document pledging to recommend Benjamin Netanyahu as the next prime minister and vowing to enter a coalition only as a single unit, as the premier called on Blue and White chief Benny Gantz to join a “unity government” that includes those parties.

“I suggest we meet as soon as possible, without preconditions, to work together to establish a broad unity government representing all who believe in a Jewish, democratic Israel,” the prime minister urged, having made a similar call in a statement earlier in the day, after Israeli elections Tuesday left the rival blocs headed by Netanyahu and Gantz short of a Knesset majority.

Speaking at a state memorial event marking three years since the death of former president and prime minister Shimon Peres, Netanyahu hinted at a readiness to rotate the premiership, as Peres and Yitzhak Shamir did after deadlocked elections in 1984. “Shimon believed in uniting our people” and with that goal “he and Shamir agreed to cooperate,” Netanyahu recalled.

It wasn’t clear whether Netanyahu’s mention of talks “without preconditions” included the significant condition that Yamina, United Torah Judaism and Shas be included in his proposed unity government.

Blue and White rejected the offer as “spin,” noted that Gantz’s party was ahead of Likud in the non-final election count, and accused Netanyahu of seeking to blame Blue and White as he seeks the eventual recourse of a third round of elections.

[...]

The united front was first announced on Wednesday, when Likud said the party chiefs had decided to set up a joint negotiation team for coalition talks and act as a “single right-wing bloc” moving forward. The all-or-nothing alliance would aim to prevent a different unity coalition, composed of Likud, Blue and White, and Yisrael Beytenu, which Liberman is pushing and that Gantz would seek to head. Liberman has also insisted that such a coalition pursue liberal policies that would preclude the inclusion of the ultra-Orthodox parties.

With almost all votes counted, the Orthodox/right-wing bloc led by Netanyahu has 55 seats, the centrist/left bloc led by Gantz has 44, and Yisrael Beytenu’s Avigdor Liberman holds the balance of power with eight. The predominantly Arab Joint List, which has not said whether it will actively back Gantz, has 13 seats.

Blue and White dismissed the offer, with senior sources within the party telling Hebrew-language media that it was political spin by Netanyahu: “He has decided to go to third elections and is trying to foist the blame onto us. If he stepped aside, there would be a unity government within a day.

“Blue and White is the biggest party, and Benny Gantz should form a unity government and head it,” the sources added.

“Netanyahu understands he lost and isn’t willing to accept the election results,” said a senior Blue and White member in a separate statement quoted in the media. “This is a desperate call to lead Israel to a third election instead of accepting the voters’ decision.”

Netanyahu and Gantz then met later Thursday morning at the memorial event for Peres. At President Rivlin’s urging, the two posed together for photos and shook hands.


More:  https://www.timesofisrael.com/netanyahu-urges-coalition-with-gantz-and-the-right-which-vows-to-back-him/

[Right_in_Virginia]

Israel Election Results: Gantz Widens Lead Over Netanyahu With 98 Percent of Vote Counted
Haaretz, Sep 19, 2019

With 98 percent of the vote counted in Israel's election, Kahol Lavan grew by one seat to 33, widening its edge over Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's Likud Party.

Kingmaker Avigdor Lieberman's Yisrael Beiteinu party lost a seat, leaving it with eight in the incoming Knesset.

The results give the center-left a slight advantage of 57 seats, compared to 55 seats for the right-wing bloc.

More:  https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/elections/israel-election-results-gantz-widens-lead-over-netanyahu-as-98-of-vote-counted-1.7863812 

The 33 Blue and White to 31 Likud count is the number of seats in the Knesset each political party has --- making Blue and White (Kahol Lavan) the largest political party.  The 57/55 number refers to how close--without Liberman -- each side is to the 61 number needed to form a government.

Part of Netanyahu's call for a unity government with rotating prime ministers has included a proviso that he serve as PM first.  Tough call with Likud coming in second.  But Netanyahu knows if Gantz were to serve first, he would be without any protection at all against indictment.

But a third election would allow Netanyahu to again retain the premiership and buy him time and some cover against whatever indictments may come.  His pre-indictment court meetings are scheduled for Oct 2 and 3.  If elections are again called, formal indictments for bribery, fraud and breach of trust could come in December while Netanyahu would still be serving as PM.