Smotrich’s proposal: Yariv Levin replaces Netanyahu as prime minister

T. Belman. I fully support his proposal. Bibi must step down and run for President.

Religious Zionism chairman says Netanyahu stepping down as PM to be president preferable to forming government with ‘terror supporters.’

By Arutz Sheva Staff , Apr 08 , 2021 6:28 PM

Bezalel Smotrich

MK Bezalel Smotrich, chairman of the ‘Religious Zionism’ party, proposed a solution to the political stalemate which could cause Israel to initiate a fifth election: Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu stepping down to run for president and Likud Minister Yariv Levin being appointed prime minister in his place.

The Mishpacha newspaper reported that Smotrich told one of the right-wing rabbis who visited him: “If Netanyahu is so anxious about the fate of the national camp, he is invited to save the Land of Israel, to appoint Yariv Levin as prime minister on his behalf and to manage affairs through him.”

“In the meantime, Bibi can run for president, the legal proceedings against him will be stopped and after years a fully right-wing government will be formed with Bennett and Sa’ar, which will pass the Overrule Clause, without having to let terrorist supporters run our lives,” MK Smotrich added.

Smotrich met with Prime Minister Netanyahu tonight (Thursday) in private. Later at 8:30 PM, Netanyahu will meet with the chairman of the Yamina party, Naftali Bennett.

The Likud chairman met yesterday with Aryeh Deri, Yaakov Litzman and Moshe Gafni in an attempt to figure out possible ways to form a government despite the current lack of 61 seats.

.Minister Yaakov Litzman said yesterday on Kol Barama radio that “there is no situation in which we sit down with Lapid or Liberman. Anyone who claims otherwise is dreaming.” Litzman added that “I spoke with Smotrich, I understood that there are formulas for a solution,” but did not elaborate on what those formulas were.

April 9, 2021 | 16 Comments »

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  1. @ Bear Klein:

    a lot of things to need to happen to create this government</blockquote

    I agree…too many things, too many unlikely things that are required simultaneously but that are, at the same time, also mutually exclusive, rendering such scenarios very unlikely. Of course, the wind of chance is always possible in a political storm such as we are in, but I find the possibility of the alliances called for in every possible scenario as more than remote. In addition to your observations, I would also note that the Supreme Court has officially supported the statute allowing the PM to hold immunity while in office. If another law was passed to grant immunity to the president while in office, it would be untried in the courts and might be overruled by the courts. There is a precedent where the president was tried and convicted while in office, and as you noted Israel has no constitution, and thus allowing great latitude with the discretion of the court. Can't predict anything with that court, but I find any suggestion that Netanyahu would leave office willingly(with or without immunity) as dubious at best. Furthermore, I don't believe the Likud would betray their electorate by ousting Netanyahu. His leadership, even with the attempted mutiny by Sa'ar, has led them to a majority among voters on the right in election after election. Such a betrayal by the party would not be forgotten in the next election or anytime soon after.

  2. Since Israel has no constitution the Knesset could pass a law making Bibi President and with immunity of prosecution.

    Shas and UTJ would sit with Lieberman if he forgo trying to pass laws they object to. Is the reverse true? They have sat in a government with him the past.

    Also he is not needed to create a government of 65 Seats if Likud, replaces Bibi better with Nir Barkat and not Levin. UTJ, Religious Zionists, Yamina, Shas, New Hope and Likud makes 65 seats.

    Bibi may agree to this because in a fifth election he may fare even worse. We will see a lot of things to need to happen to create this government

  4. @ Adam Dalgliesh:

    Amazing that so many Israeli politicians are so ignorant.

    No way to argue with this statement.

    In any case, however, I do not believe that Netanyahu would be willing to leave power, having won the largest majority(by alot) among the right. I don’t recall who it was(maybe Sa’ar, himself), but in one of the several recent elections someone stated that no one tells Likud who should be their leader. I think that is still true today. When Sa’ar split from Likud, it was claimed this would greatly damage Likud, and it did damage them, but not greatly. Many have attacked Netanyahu for having lost ~235k votes as voter’s sat on their hands in the election and Likud lost 7 seats. But in truth, almost everyone of these votes(~210k) went with Sa’ar and New Hope. Consequently, I don’t see Likud abandoning Netanyahu, Netanyahu will not voluntarily step down to appease his opponents, and as you pointed out, he couldn’t if he was so inclined – but he surely isn’t so inclined.

    I thinks we should be expecting another election cycle unless these deluded members of the Anyone-But-Netanyahu members change their position on…Netanyahu.

  5. @ Adam Dalgliesh:
    Yes of course. All seem to have forgotten this. And even if that was an anomaly, Netanyahu would only be twiddling his thumbs as President for 6 years with the indictments still to greet him after his term, when older and less able (perhaps), with some “witnesses” departed this earth, etc. Not to mention watching the sinking of Israel back into indefensible military situations, and declining economy, with the political squabbling still going on.

    N.G.

  6. @ Bear Klein:
    The Haredim have sworn many times that under NO circumstances would they sit with Lieberman. Do you think they’d change their minds so as to cement a strong government..Lieberman has also sworn he won’t sit with Netanyahu as leader.

  7. What everyone seems to be overlooking is that the President of the Republic does not have immunity from prosecution. A past president, Moshe Katzav, was charged with rape while he was still president. The supreme court then ordered him to resign. He was eventually convicted and tried in secret. He was convicted and given a long sentence. He was released only recently. I consider this to have been one of the worst if not the worst injustices in Israel’s criminal justice history. The evidence against him was never revealed, and the namees of his accusers have been kept secret even after all these years. From the little that has been revealed about them, they sound like extremely unreliable witnesses with ulterior motives for agreeing to testify against him. The entire investigation of him by the police was conducted in an extremely improper manner. After he complained to the police that he was being blackmailed, the police, instead of investigating the alleged blackmail attempt, decided to set about proving that the blackmailer’s allegation was true. Finding the original accuser’s testimony lacked credibility, they engaged in a witness-hunting campaign until they found someone willing to swear under oath that Katzav had raped. The specifics of her rape narrative have never been revealed, and all the testimony at the trial
    remains secret.

    But I digress. My point is that electing Bibi as president will give him no immunity from prosecution. Amazing that so many Israeli politicians are so ignorant.

  9. If Bibi steps down the New Hope party with Saar would enter the coalition making 65 votes and there is even a possibility Lieberman joins with Israel Betenyu for 72. It is a nice theoretical approach but that is all it is probably. Smotrich is using it as cover because he refuses to back a government that is supported RAAM.

    Caroline Glick writes the following about the idea:

    Yamina leader Naftali Bennett and New Hope chief Gideon Sa’ar, with 13 Knesset seats between them, somehow expect that 30 Likud lawmakers will ignore their voters and help them unseat Netanyahu. It’s hard to see how their plan is more than wishful thinking.

  10. Is this a private page for you two. What happened to the otjer posts. I know I sent in one fairly large post. I saw it printed and it was under the the heading at the top..”Smotrich’s Proposal ….”Where is it???

    Is the “cancel” stuff creeping in here too?? Perhaps you, Ted are following in the illustrious steps of Google, Twitter et al???

  11. @ Ted Belman:

    300,000 potential Likud voters stayed home instead of voting

    So it might work in the next election though I am skeptical that any of these others have the day to day international management skills that Bibi has and that are needed in these perilous times. Bibi micromanages. That’s how he pulled off the intelligence coups against Iran without leaks and getting the vaccine. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/299228?fbclid=IwAR1Mqt9gr15eB5ipxR0ZxoggPfJIV8VwE_NQZEqghbGQ6QFQ-aUpc5fI2jw

  13. @ Ted Belman:
    LIeberman said he would recommend Lapid on March 28th. At the bottom of this article, it says,

    Minister Yaakov Litzman said yesterday on Kol Barama radio that “there is no situation in which we sit down with Lapid or Liberman. Anyone who claims otherwise is dreaming.” Litzman added that “I spoke with Smotrich, I understood that there are formulas for a solution,” but did not elaborate on what those formulas were.

    So, Lieberman and Lapid are out. Bennett is willing to consider sitting with Ra’am and Bibi. Have you any inkling of what “those formulas” might possibly consist of? From where I sit, it looks like a fifth election is on the horizon. No?