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DECEMBER29, 3, 2015 2020||The TheJewish JewishHome Home OCTOBER
Will Naftali Bennett Be Israel’s New Leader? BY SHAMMAI SISKIND
Late last week,
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu made a subtle but strong warning that another round of elections could very well be imminent. The longtime premier delivered this ominous suggestion at a greeting ceremony for a recent flight landing at Ben Gurion airport from the United Arab Emirates. During his address, the premier stated that a deadlock with his reluctant political partners, Defense Minister Benny Gantz and his Blue and White party, could spell the dissolution of the current government. “If we see a different approach from Blue and White, and they start cooperating instead of acting like a government within a government, we can continue working together,” Netanyahu said referring to negotiations on the governmental budget that have been going nowhere for months. “If not, I think everyone would understand that it would unfortunately lead to elections,” he warned, adding, “I would prefer that we unite and deal with bringing peace and vaccines and helping the economy.”
Almost on cue, Blue and White officials shot back, accusing the prime minister of being the source of the stagnation. “It is Netanyahu who is breaking agreements, preventing appointments and not enabling the passing of the budget for two months for political reasons. That is why every poll shows the public blames Netanyahu by a wide margin for the elections that are expected.” The recent exchange between these staunch political rivals is nothing new. Nor are the forewarnings of political upheaval by both sides exaggerated. They are, in fact, the culmination of a months-long trend, one that could trigger some of the biggest political realignments in Israel’s history. Since at least the early summer, observers in Israel have been pointing to signs of yet another return to the ballot box for the Jewish state. In March, the third consecutive election was held after rounds in April and the previous September failed to produce a stable Knesset. What emerged was a political truce of sorts between Netanyahu
and Gantz involving a rotation of the premiership. From the outset, the deal was labeled by many as too fragile to last. But while the eventual collapse of the Likud-Blue and White alliance may have been predictable, few could have foreseen the way events would actually play out.
An Old Song on Higher Volume Staunch opposition to Benjamin Netanyahu has been a staple feature in Israeli politics for several years now. Indeed, many have built (or at least significantly advanced) political careers harnessing the anti-Netanyahu sentiment within the Israeli public. This force trend first appeared in stark visibility in 2015 when a coalition of activists launched the movement known as Pashut Mahlifim, roughly translated as “We’re Just Changing.” The entire raison d’etre of this organization was the removal of Netanyahu from the prime minister’s office. Who would replace him? Almost irrelevant. Pashut Mahlifim, or V15 as it was later branded, was perhaps the first organized manifestation of what has come to be an extremely powerful move-
