Likud blames rival over Netanyahu-instigated political crisis

Over nine months ago, Israel’s 20th Knesset voted itself out of office in order to embark on an election campaign — a campaign that ultimately brought the state to a dead end. After two elections (in April and in September), Israel still has no government. At best — or perhaps at worst — the elections held on Sept. 17 for the 22nd Knesset will eventually result in a narrow coalition government or a two-headed power-sharing government, an option becoming less likely with every passing day. At worst — or perhaps at best — in January or February 2020, Israelis will be summoned to the ballot boxes once again, for the third time in less than a year. Either way, the State of Israel has been run for months by a group of people devoting most of their time and energy to being reelected and keeping their jobs or being promoted. Furthermore, most of the prime minister’s energies are devoted to keeping his own private business intact, meaning to achieve immunity from prosecution and stay in office.

A grocery shop owner who takes annual leave makes sure he has a replacement to run the business. The prime minister of Israel, surely one of the most complex jobs on the planet, has not named a substitute, believing himself irreplaceable. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu refuses to take leave in order to devote himself fully to proving his innocence of the charges of corruption dogging him. He is holed up at his official residence on Jerusalem’s Balfour Street, paralyzing the entire state.

In a bid to break the deadlock produced by the election results, President Reuven Rivlin cooked up a power-sharing deal between Netanyahu’s Likud and his rival Benny Gantz’s Blue and White party. In a Sept. 25 meeting, Rivlin suggested a legal change to the position of “interim prime minister” that would grant the interim prime minister (Gantz) “full power” in case the prime minister (Netanyahu) could not carry out his duties. Netanyahu, standing alongside Rivlin as the president laid out his blueprint, nodded in agreement several times. The nodding was calculated, sending the clear message, “See? I’m going along with the president; the ball is now in Gantz’s court.”

Indeed, the following day, at a toast marking the Jewish new year, Netanyahu took advantage of a lull in the wild cheering by his Likud followers chanting, “Netanyahu, King of Israel lives on,” to declare that he had displayed leadership for their sake. “I gave up quite a bit, we agreed to discussions based on the president’s plan. Now, I am saying, ‘Benny, the ball is in your court. … Stand up. Do the right thing. Display leadership. Join me in unity.’”