TEL AVIV—Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday appointed himself defense minister, rejecting a coalition partner’s key demand in a move that could collapse the government.
The resignation last week of Israel’s hard-line defense ministerAvigdor Lieberman over the prime minister’s Gaza policy has thrown Mr. Netanyahu’s government into crisis. Mr. Lieberman withdrew his Yisrael Beitenu party from the governing coalition, cutting its majority in the Israeli parliament, or Knesset, to a precarious 61 of 120 seats.
Naftali Bennett, who heads the conservative Jewish Home party, had demanded he be appointed defense minister or his party would exit the government. Mr. Bennett has been calling for a tougher response to months of conflict with Hamas and other militant groups in the Gaza Strip.
Mr. Netanyahu’s other coalition partners, including Finance Minister Moshe Kahlon of the Kulanu Party, have said snap elections are preferable to the current razor-thin majority that makes governing difficult.
Mr. Bennett’s party has called a press conference for Monday morning, sparking speculation it would leave the government. A spokesman for Mr. Bennett declined to comment further.
Mr. Netanyahu on Sunday night painted those calling for elections as being irresponsible and harming Israel’s security.
“We are in one of the most complex security situations. At a time like this, we do not topple a government and hold an election. It’s irresponsible,” said Mr. Netanyahu.
Mr. Netanyahu didn’t elaborate on what security concerns he was referring to, but he has often spoken about the dangers facing Israel due to Iran’s growing military influence in Syria and Lebanon, and more recently about the possibility of war with Hamas in Gaza.
Hamas has celebrated the political turmoil in Israel as a success for its military wing, which fired hundreds of rockets into Israel last week following a botched Israeli mission into Gaza that led to the death of seven Hamas fighters and one Israeli officer. Hamas’s leader in Gaza, Yahya Sinwar, on Saturday said next time the group fires rockets at Israel, it will target Israel’s densely populated center, including Tel Aviv.
Mr. Netanyahu met Mr. Bennett on Friday and met Mr. Kahlon later on Sunday to try to convince him to stay in the government.
In a tweet Saturday night, Mr. Netanyahu said that if he could convince Mr. Kahlon to remain in the coalition, the government wouldn’t fall.
Also on Sunday, Mr. Netanyahu quickly pushed through a bill to increase the salaries of policemen and prison guards by cutting funds from all government ministries. The move was seen as a step to please Mr. Kahlon, who draws voters from the nonmilitary servicemen, said Gideon Rahat, a research fellow at Jerusalem-based Israel Democracy Institute.
The wrangling, however, could be drawn-out as all the major parties in the coalition are competing for right-wing votes and don’t want to be seen as taking down Israel’s most right-wing government, analysts say. A coalition meeting set for Sunday was canceled but no reason was given, according to local media.
Mr. Rahat said there is still a 50-50 chance Israel will go to early elections.
A little over half of the Israeli public believes Israel should go to early elections, according to a poll released Saturday by Israel’s Channel 12 news.
But despite popular anger over Mr. Netanyahu’s handling of the situation in Gaza, the poll shows his Likud party winning 30 out of 120 seats, the same number that it won in the last elections in 2015.
Under Israeli law, elections are required by November 2019. Early elections could be called if the Knesset passes a special law to invoke an early vote. Alternatively, Mr. Netanyahu has the power to dissolve the Knesset. Calling early elections triggers a 60- to 90-day process that includes primary contests among Israel’s major parties. Most analysts believe if a snap election is called in the coming days, the voting would take place likely in March.
Bagikan Berita Ini
Related Posts :
Canada's Legalization of Marijuana Offers a Test Case for Other Countries- 'Better than the Olympics': Canadians line up for marijuana as it becomes legal
- Brexit Talks Stall At 'Moment Of Truth' Summit
- Amid global outrage over Khashoggi, Trump tries to protect Saudis
- As Canada legalizes pot, other countries likely to follow