Yisrael Beitenu chairman MK Avigdor Liberman has told "Globes" that he will recommend to President Reuven Rivlin that Blue & White chairman Benny Gantz should be the next prime minister. "I will recommend Gantz to the president, if Gantz will commit publicly what he committed to on his election posters - a secular national unit government with Yisrael Beitenu, the Likud, Blue and White and without others from either side." In other words without the left wing parties as well as the right wing religious parties.
Under these terms, it is diffcult to see how Gantz could form a government, if Benjamin Netanyahu and the Likud are inflexible in negotiations.
Meanwhile, Liberman's spokespeople have been slamming Netanyahu. "Netanyahu is using spin to lead Israel to another set of elections."
Liberman said that the bloc established by Netanyahu had no connection to the right wing. "On the one hand, it includes Shas, a part that abstained in the vote on the Oslo Accords, and on the other hand, people with Messianic aspirations who want to return us to the period of King Saul, King David, and the laws of the Torah, and turn the universities into schools of prophecy. As always, Netanyahu, who gave Hevron to Arafat and voted in favor of disengagement, is an opportunist, not rightwing."
Gantz is not likely to join a unity government with Netanyahu's bloc of 55, a "Halachah bloc." "This is no less than sleight of hand and false representation in order to prepare public opinion for a third round of elections. Netanyahu, who is unwilling to accept the voters' decision and admit his failure, is desperately casting around for a lifeline and trying to make people think that the Likud won the election," Liberman said.
Liberman added that Netanyahu was trying to lull the system by calling for unity, while at the same time continuing his efforts to persuade MKs from various parties to join him and the "Halachah bloc" that he formed yesterday in order to obtain a majority of 61 MKs. "If he fails to get a majority, he'll blame Gantz for preventing a unity government and lead Israel into another election campaign."
Liberman repeated his call for a liberal national government, saying, "Let's sit together, you, Benny Gantz, and I, and form a broad national liberal government for the sake of Israel's future."
Published by Globes, Israel business news - en.globes.co.il - on September 19, 2019
© Copyright of Globes Publisher Itonut (1983) Ltd. 2019