Netanyahu will blink first

T. Belman. Just as I wrote earlier today. In my opinion, Netanyahu isn’t offering enough. Saar and Bennett will hold out for more and will probably get it.

Something about the “change” bloc’s determination appears to have convinced Netanyahu that losing his mandate to form the next government could lead him to lose everything.

By  Mati Tuchfeld, ISRAEL HAYOM     04-26-2021 10:37

Recent political events, from losing a vote at the Knesset Arrangements Committee to Yamina head Naftali Bennett’s announcement he had entered into talks with the so-called “change” bloc to establish a coalition – a move that garnered widespread media support, seem to had an effect on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s confidence levels. One week ago, the alternative government seemed unattainable – a highly unstable government in which right-wing members would need to swallow too many frogs to exist. However, something about its founders’ determination appears to have made Netanyahu think otherwise and conclude that losing his mandate to form the next government could lead him to lose everything.

While the possibility of passing the premiership to someone else from the political system for a year to allow New Hope leader Gideon Sa’ar to join a fully right-wing government was raised in the days following the election, Netanyahu dismissed it outright. The other side would have a much harder time forming a government, the prime minister explained, and up until now invested a majority of his efforts in thwarting any possible government by the other side. The messages he relayed and his blatant attacks against Bennett were all aimed at serving the same objective: making a government of left-wing parties and an Arab party illegitimate.

The fact that Netanyahu is now considering other options has led to the assessment that in this game of wills, he will likely be the one to blink first. The price? One year of the premiership. Yet he may have more to gain with such a move than he would lose if he didn’t.

If this is how things turn out, Netanyahu will be held hostage by Bennett’s and Sa’ar’s whims. With mutual trust virtually nonexistent and personal motives outweighing everything else, those two are the last people he would want to be dependent on. That is why Netanyahu is even considering Benny Gantz. The prime minister has had enough of his partnership with the Blue and White party leader. In the end, Netanyahu found a way to evade his rotation deal, which is exactly the reason why Gantz might now exact his revenge by doing the exact same thing to Netanyahu. Gantz isn’t part of the right-wing camp, and as long as he is a member of the government, there will be no moves related to the justice system or other legislation important to the Right and others. Yet there is a pretty good chance that despite all this, Netanyahu is counting on Gantz more than the other two. For one thing, Gantz is still innocent in his eyes, someone who would be easier to manipulate from the deputy prime minister’s throne.

From Gantz’s perspective, one would have expected this to be something of a political disaster, but it seems that with him, there is no such thing as rock bottom. With a left-wing unity government and Netanyahu’s absolute ousting on the line, Gantz once again prefers the convenient option that saves the prime minister and holds his head above water. Gantz could boast of bringing about Netanyahu’s removal and of course, having made it to the top, but this will all be done to give Netanyahu the air he needs to breathe at a time when he needs it most of all. And for this, the Blue and White leader’s political camp will not forgive and will not forget. Especially the second time around.