Political
Israel Looks Headed For More Elections As Benny Gantz Backs Bill To Dissolve Parliament By Gabe Friedman
Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz speaks during a visit to the IsraelLebanon border, Nov. 17, 2020. (David Cohen/Flash90)
(JTA) — Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz said Tuesday that his party will back a bill crafted by the opposition in parliament to dissolve the government, likely sending Israel to its fourth election in two years. The votes from Gantz’s Blue and White would provide the needed votes for the measure to pass in the Knesset. Gantz and Benjamin Netanyahu, the prime minister, formed a unity government earlier this year by agreeing to rotate the premiership after 18 months, but the two have been at odds from the outset of the partnership. Their latest logjam involves a two-year national budget that both said they would finance in their coalition agreement. But Netanyahu’s Likud party has agreed to pass only a one-year budget; the two-year agreement would set in
motion Gantz’s transition to power next year. In a statement, Gantz blamed Netanyahu for the situation. “Netanyahu has decided to dissolve the government and drag Israel into an election” by refusing to pass the budget, Gantz said, according to Haaretz. Gantz had recently launched a commission to investigate a corruption scandal known as “the Submarine Affair,” which involves several people close to Netanyahu, further eroding their relationship. “All of this is happening for a single reason … Netanyahu is only working to save himself from his trial,” Gantz said Tuesday, referencing the other scandals for which Netanyahu was indicted last year. Gantz left open the possibility of passing the budget by its Dec. 23 deadline and avoiding an election that would take place in 2021. His powerful coalition of parties splintered when Gantz joined forces with Netanyahu. Recent polling projects 31 Knesset seats for Likud, 21 for Naftali Bennet’s right-wing Yamina party, 17 for Yair Lapid’s centrist Yesh Atid, 11 for the predominantly Arab Joint List group of parties and nine for Blue and White.
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LIFE IN 2021 Continued from Page 16
The haredi community will also have to reckon with its handling of the pandemic, which many saw as a and family are omnipresent. Yet I failure, as well as the rabbinic leadwatched proudly as the community ership’s growing fears of young showed that it had not lost the fight- people defecting from the commuing spirit and campaigning courage nity. that it has built up fighting antiSemitism at home, as it adopted the Gabe Friedman is plight of Xinjiang’s Uyghurs and deputy managing Muslim minorities as its own. editor and covers Across the board – from communal arts and culture. newspapers to rabbis and national What’s your takeaway from organizations – the Jewish commu2020? It’s going to be a weird and nity has become one of Britain’s windy road back to normal in the most consistently outspoken chamarts, culture and food worlds in pions for the rights and survival of 2021 and beyond. The Warner Bros. Xinjiang’s oppressed. move to stream all of its 2021 What’s on your radar for 2021? movie releases at the same time Britain, trying to tie up the final they debut in theaters provoked strands of the Brexit process and outrage, but it was also a sobering now battling a new more transmisreminder of how long companies sible strain of COVID-19, looks set expect the effects of the pandemic for a bumpy start to 2021. But I to linger throughout the upcoming think that Britain’s Jews will be year. So if you still don’t enjoy among the first in Europe to return experiencing your favorite Jewish to a semblance of normality: As artists’ work at home, or ordering COVID vaccines are rolled out from your favorite Israeli restaurant across the country, a glimmer of as takeout, there is plenty of time to light suggests that perhaps – if we get used to it. hold our breath – things will be In terms of specific works, there returning to normal by the summer. isn’t a ton of big-ticket content to Sam Sokol reports about Israel preview for now — such as a Nicole and is based in Beit Shemesh. Krauss novel that takes place in What’s your takeaway from Israel or a Hanukkah album from 2020? Covering a pandemic and Haim — but in our new world of conducting repeated interviews pandemic delays and shifts, surwith the families of victims drove prise releases are almost ensured. home just how difficult, and imporFor pop and rap fans, there should tant, it is to retain journalistic objecbe new Bleachers (Jack Antonoff) tivity even while tempering it with and Drake albums. Actor Timothee sympathy for those about whom we Chalamet should become more of a are writing. Dealing with harasshousehold name through his star ment and personal threats as a result turn in the sci-fi epic “Dune.” Same of my coverage, as well as having for Ansel Elgort, who will star in to report on attacks against fellow Steven Spielberg’s big-screen journalists (including some who are remake of “West Side Story.” I’m personal friends), reminded me that looking forward to “Red Notice,” a while we in the press are required comedic thriller starring my favorto be detached, outside observers, ite Israeli Gal Gadot, alongside we can all too easily become the Ryan Reynolds and Dwayne Johnstory if something goes wrong. son. What’s on your radar for 2021? What’s on your radar for 2021? Like last year, 2021 is beginning in I think we all learned that online Israel with an election looming that programming works incredibly could determine whether the counwell in some areas and fails comtry’s longest-serving prime minispletely in others. For example, ter, Benjamin Netanyahu, stays in thousands of people have engaged power. Netanyahu is facing what in new areas of Jewish learning and looks like his most formidable explored institutions they didn’t political threat with the formation have access to before, like Jewish of a new party led by a former ally, museums in foreign countries. But Gideon Saar, as well as serious live performances — especially legal troubles and deep public anger those of the most engaging, theatriover his handling of the pandemic. cal kind — don’t translate well If Netanyahu loses power, the through pixels. religious right in Israel could see its That said, something fun that did power blunted and the religious status quo in the country may be See LIFE IN 2021 23 on Page shattered in an unprecedented way.
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