Will Gantz jettison or legitimize Netanyahu’s fear mongering?


Benny Gantz must decide: keep faith with the Arab parties or n break his promise not to serve with Netanyahu

Benny Gantz poster. Timem to deal witrh the Joint List

Akiva Eldar writes in Al Monitor, “According to an old Jewish proverb, those who need the services of a thief must take him down from the noose. In the case before Israel, the thief is being accused of bribery, fraud and breach of trust, but has nonetheless convinced the citizenry that his services are essential. In this regard, Israel’s interim prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, has turned himself into a vital cure for a horrible epidemic. In addition, he is demanding that the political hangman, Blue and White leader Benny Gantz, and his associates restore him to the status of permanent prime minister. On March 22, Netanyahu appealed once again to his rival Gantz to join a unity government to tackle the coronavirus crisis. With the help of this tiny virus, the larger-than-life accused has successfully placed responsibility at the door of his accuser and created conflict in the accuser’s camp.”…

“Those in Blue and White’s leadership who advocate joining a unity government argue that despite Netanyahu’s actions and failures, he still commands significant power. They warn of the irreversible political damage to the fragile alliance that could be caused by the fear being generated by the coronavirus and of the Arabs. A Channel 12 poll released March 12, however, indicates that the coronavirus and incitement against the Joint List have not undermined the position held by the center-left political bloc, which has maintained public support for its 61 Knesset seats.”

“The Supreme Court has ordered a vote to replace the current Knesset speaker, Likud’s Yuli Edelstein, by March 25. With a new speaker and with new committees, Blue and White could advance legislation blocking Netanyahu from being tasked with forming the next government and in the process bringing him closer to the defendant’s box. Gantz and his friends must now decide which is wiser: legitimizing a citizen under indictment who is eroding the state’s democracy or approving that same citizen’s delegitimization of 15 democratically elected, law-abiding Arab citizens.” (more…)

 

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