Netanyahu Kills Unity Government

President Trump and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu 2017. Photo by The White House.

The unity government agreement between Netanyahu’s Likud Party and Benny Gantz’ Blue and White Party collapsed this week after the failure to pass a budget for the upcoming year. The lack of a yearly budget bill automatically nullified the existing government in what seems to have been a calculated political decision by the sitting Prime Minister.

Political allies of the Prime Minister refused to support the proposed budget, preventing it from gaining enough support in the Knesset. New elections will be held for their congress, with a projected election day in late March or early April.

Prime Minister Netanyahu was due to trade positions with Benny Gantz in November 2021, and during the interim many of the decisions associated with the government were expected to take place with the consultation of leadership of both parties. Instead, Netanyahu has repeatedly used his connections with the Trump administration to negotiate peace deals with neighboring countries without letting any Blue and White Party members know about the secret talks.

This has resulted in the image of the Blue and White Party being drastically diminished and viewed as weak in the eyes of the Israeli populace. Current polling indicates that the Blue and White Party is likely to lose seats and influence in any upcoming election, which would be expected to give Netanyahu sole authority as the leader of Israel again.

This, despite ongoing protests and street marches against Netanyahu because of his handling of the coronavirus crisis and the continuing corruption trial against Netanyahu and his wife as well as the drama of defamation suits associated with the Prime Minister’s family, whether against his son for conspiracy hatemongering or against political opponents by Netanyahu’s cousin (also for conspiracy attacks.)

Netanyahu has kept a strong core of support within his party through fiery invective against the aggressive and politically omnipresent enemy of Iran, and by firm stances against the many pro-terrorist elements within the Palestinian populace. With independents and wavering Likud members, the Prime Minister has been greatly aided by President Trump’s actions on his behalf. That said, the new peace deals are shaky items predicated on promises by historical opponents and garnered through payoffs to the leaders of those countries by the United States. Should those payoffs be retracted by future administrations, the peace deals risk falling apart. But for the moment, it looks like a shrewd, if unethical, move by Netanyahu to consolidate power as the corruption lawsuits work their way through the courts and thus put himself out of reach of potential repercussions for any misdeeds which may have occurred.

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About AlienMotives 1991 Articles
Ex-Navy Reactor Operator turned bookseller. Father of an amazing girl and husband to an amazing wife. Tired of willful political blindness, but never tired of politics. Hopeful for the future.