Archiv: Blue and White Party (Kahol Lavan)


31.07.2022 - 06:38 [ Haaretz ]

Gantz Is Expecting Lapid to Bow Out Gracefully Once Again

Gantz is expecting Lapid to be the silver platter on which his government will rest. He’s expecting Lapid to bow out gracefully a fourth time.

First, Lapid gave up on leading Kahol Lavan (back when it was a joint ticket). Then he gave up on a rotation as prime minister should it win. Then he let Naftali Bennett be the first prime minister in the outgoing rotation government. As far as Gantz and his supporters are concerned, that’s Lapid’s purpose – to be an indefatigable capitulator, the person who provides springboards and makes governments for others.

11.07.2022 - 15:26 [ Jerusalem Post ]

Gantz and Sa’ar sign political merger in bid to take votes from Lapid

Defense Minister Benny Gantz’s Blue and White Party and Justice Minister Gideon Sa’ar’s New Hope Party are merging, the two announced in a press conference on Sunday night.

“Today we are laying the foundation stone of the next government,” Gantz said. “The edges and extremes have set the tone for too long, and the Israeli center remained without a voice.”

03.07.2022 - 08:07 [ Haaretz ]

Israel Downs Unarmed Hezbollah Drones Believed to Be Heading for Gas Rig

Israeli military sources say …

03.07.2022 - 08:05 [ Haaretz ]

Israel Election: Netanyahu’s Party Is Counting on Gantz

(Jul 1, 2022)

The second consensus – which is both more important and more interesting – is that absolutely no one in Likud, from the most junior member to the most senior, failed to cite Kahol Lavan Chairman Benny Gantz, the current defense minister, as the person they are counting on to complete the tally of 61 Knesset seats that Netanyahu needs to form a government.

17.01.2022 - 16:40 [ Haaretz ]

Israeli Ministry Seeks Extention of Controversial Fingerprint Collection Order

Despite its statements, the Interior Ministry plans to continue collecting fingerprints for its biometric ID database until 2025, at the earliest. Interior Minister Ayelet Shaked has proposed a three-year extension of the emergency order that provides for gathering fingerprints from citizens. The Knesset must vote on the measure.

The ministry’s Population and Immigration Authority says it needs about two years to buy and introduce facial recognition technology that will obviate the need for fingerprints. The agency is considering retaining the fingerprint database for victim identification in the event of a national disaster.

02.06.2021 - 23:45 [ Tagesschau.de ]

Acht-Parteien-Bündnis in Israel: Lapid gelingt Koalitionsbildung

Der 57-Jährige habe den israelischen Präsident Reuven Rivlin über die Regierungsbildung informiert, hieß es in einer Erklärung. Mit Vereidigung einer solchen Regierung im Parlament wäre die Ära von Netanyahu als Premierminister vorerst beendet.

01.06.2021 - 16:33 [ i24NEWS English / Twitter ]

#Israel: Interparty negotiations accelerate in an attempt to form a government i24NEWS @AlecHaimPollard with the latest

01.06.2021 - 15:48 [ Joel Solkoff / Twitter ]

Lapid, Bennett, Sa’ar meet to hammer out final coalition deal ahead of deadline

30.05.2021 - 13:20 [ Ynetnews.com ]

As coalition for change coalesces, Saar rejects Netanyahu offer

With Lapid apparently making strides in building government, New Hope leader nixes Likud offer for first slot in three-way rotation of premiership that would also include Yamina’s Bennett; ‚Our commitment is to replace Netanyahu,‘ Saar says

30.05.2021 - 13:18 [ Haaretz ]

In Last Ditch-effort, Netanyahu Offers Bennett, Sa’ar Rotating Premiership Deal

The coalition of parties seeking to form a new government without Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his Likud party have hammered out an agreement on the assignment of senior cabinet positions if the coalition actually comes into being.

Naftali Bennett: The Yamina party chairman would be prime minister first, then foreign minister. Yair Lapid, Yesh Atid leader, would first serve as foreign minister, then prime minister. Ayelet Shaked: interior minister. Avigdor Lieberman: finance minister. Benny Gantz: The Kahol Lavan chief will continue to serve as defense minister. Gideon Sa’ar: justice minister. Merav Michaeli: The Labor Party chairwoman would serve as transportation minister.

27.04.2021 - 14:58 [ Ynetnews.com ]

High Court to convene as government stalls again over justice minister

The High Court of Justice was to convene at 5pm Tuesday after the government failed to appoint a justice minister within the time frame allocated by the court.

The latest attempt to end the deadlock over the appointment of the minister failed when the government voted down a move by Blue & White leader Benny Gantz to return to the ministry on a permanent basis.

19.03.2021 - 23:10 [ Haaretz ]

Netanyahu 2021: Israel’s Most Radical Government Ever Would Bring Fascism Within Reach

Victory for the pro-Netanyahu bloc might make him unstoppable, but the opposition’s impulse to depose the ruler could lead to some short-term pragmatism

16.03.2021 - 02:05 [ Haaretz ]

Meretz Leader Says Will Recommend Lapid for Prime Minister After Election

Meretz is the first party in the center-left bloc that has officially announced its support for Lapid, while the Yesh Atid leader himself has avoided declaring his candidacy for the premiership.

Labor chairman Merav Michaeli and Kahol Lavan leader Benny Gantz have refused in recent weeks to pledge their support for Lapid.

15.03.2021 - 11:24 [ Haaretz ]

‚A Catastrophic Move‘: As Lapid Courts Their Voters, Leftist Parties Fear Eradication in Upcoming Election

“This is a catastrophic move,” the source continued, adding that when Kahol Lavan Chairman Benny Gantz “did something similar in the last election, we made sure to stop the campaign when the other parties hit six seats so as not to endanger the bloc.”

15.03.2021 - 11:17 [ Jerusalem Post ]

Israel Elections: Yair Lapid declares war on parties in bloc

“Netanyahu failed, because he cared only about himself and not the state,” Yesh Atid wrote in the messages. “All those who took part in the bloated and wasteful government left Netanyahu in the Prime Minister’s Residence.“

15.03.2021 - 11:16 [ i24news.tv ]

Ahead of March 23 vote, Gantz says ’no regrets‘ in joining Netanyahu coalition

(14.03.2021)

The ex-military chief’s Blue and White political alliance won 33 seats in the March 2020 polls, before he fell just short of cobbling together a ruling 61-member coalition in the 120-seat legislature.

Weeks later, he shocked supporters by joining Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu — his right-wing nemesis — in a precarious unity government, as a first wave of the coronavirus pandemic shook the country.

05.03.2021 - 10:43 [ Jerusalem Post ]

Netanyahu drops in polls, Lapid hits 20, Bennett and Sa’ar tie in third

The bloc that wants Netanyahu to form the next government – Likud, Shas, UTJ and the Religious Zionist Party – received 46 seats.

The bloc that does not want him to remain prime minister – Yesh Atid, New Hope, Yisrael Beytenu, Labor, Blue and White and Meretz – received 54.

05.02.2021 - 11:33 [ Haaretz ]

Lapid Finally Has His Moment in the Election Ring With Netanyahu. He’ll Have Just One Chance

In 2019, he agreed to merge his Yesh Atid party into Benny Gantz’s Kahol Lavan and accepted Gantz’s leadership.

14.01.2021 - 19:07 [ Haaretz ]

Gantz, We’ll Take It From Here

It’s hard not to feel uncomfortable when we hear Gantz – who gave Netanyahu the government, betraying his voters and his partners – trying to look like someone worried about the future of the “Anyone But Bibi” camp and trying to serve as a strategic adviser.

12.01.2021 - 14:53 [ Haaretz ]

‚I Was Wrong to Join Netanyahu‘: Gantz Calls for Broad Center-left Coalition

Kahol Lavan chairman Benny Gantz called on leaders of center-left parties to unite ahead of Israel’s March 23 election in order to replace Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu – his coalition partner over the past year.

02.01.2021 - 07:28 [ Haaretz ]

Israel Election Polls: Tel Aviv Mayor Gains Ground, Gantz Grazing Threshold

(30.12.2020)

Justice Minister Avi Nissenkorn left the slate on Tuesday to join Tel Aviv Mayor Ron Huldai’s party, and Foreign Minister Gabi Ashkenazi announced on Wednesday afternoon that he will not be running with Kahol Lavan in the upcoming election.

After Huldai announced that he is running for Knesset on Tuesday, his Hayisraelim party is projected to win eight to nine parliamentary seats.

02.01.2021 - 07:25 [ Times of Israel ]

Blue and White’s Ashkenazi expected to quit party, leave politics

(29.12.2020)

The Blue and White party’s No. 2, Foreign Minister Gabi Ashkenazi, is set to announce in the coming days that he is leaving the party and will likely take a break from politics, Hebrew media reports said Tuesday.

Ashkenazi will declare that he is not running in the coming March elections by Wednesday, according to Channel 12 news and Haaretz.

02.01.2021 - 07:20 [ Jerusalem Post ]

Gantz: Nissenkorn stabbed me in the back

(01.01.2021)

In a weekend interview with Yediot Aharonot, Gantz said „I felt him stabbing me in the back and turning the knife.“
Nissenkorn, whose resignation took effect Friday morning, wrote on Facebook afterward that Gantz made „crazy concessions“ that would have emptied the justice minister post of authority in an effort to keep the government together.

02.01.2021 - 07:13 [ Ynetnews.com ]

After joining Huldai, Nissenkorn resigns as justice minister

(30.12.2020)

After leaving Blue & White and joining Tel Aviv mayor Ron Huldai’s new The Israelis party, Avi Nissenkorn Wednesday resigned from his position as justice minister.

23.12.2020 - 19:13 [ Haaretz ]

This Israeli Election Season Will Feature Vaccines, Generals and Political Cannibalism

Netanyahu will flaunt COVID vaccines and peace, Kahol Lavan might fall into oblivion and the Joint List is facing a split as Israel gears up for its fourth election in two years.

23.12.2020 - 00:16 [ ORF ]

Neuwahl fix: Israels Parlament automatisch aufgelöst

Gegen Netanjahu läuft ein Korruptionsprozess. Ganz hat dem 71-Jährigen vorgeworfen, er wolle alles unternehmen, um einer Verurteilung zu entgehen.

Das Bündnis um Ganz ist inzwischen zerbröselt. Bei einer Neuwahl muss Blau-Weiß sogar bangen, ob es die 3,25-Prozent-Hürde schafft.

22.12.2020 - 23:53 [ Haaretz ]

Nation-state Law Essentially Establishes Apartheid Regime

If the High Court does not examine the Jewish nation-state law according to norms external to the Israeli system and in accordance with criteria derived from consensual universal and international norms and values, it will justify the existence of a regime of constitutionally-mandated segregation for every ethnic dominating group trying to grant itself exclusive supremacy in any country, not only the Jewish people in Israel.

22.12.2020 - 06:41 [ Haaretz ]

Gantz’s Political Party Was Last Year’s Largest. Now It’s the Walking Dead

There is no scenario now under which Gantz can credibly lead his party into another election. And without Gantz as a potential replacement for Netanyahu, there is no reason for Kahol Lavan to continue to exist as a political entity.

20.12.2020 - 22:41 [ Haaretz ]

Anti-Netanyahu Bloc Grows but Gantz Is Losing Steam, Election Poll Shows

threshold.

The bloc that has pledged not to join a Netanyahu government would stand at 64 out of 120 Knesset seats. The opposing bloc, composed of Likud, Shas, United Torah Judaism and Yamina, would garner just 56, which is not enough to form a government.

20.12.2020 - 22:38 [ Haaretz ]

Gantz’s Party Agrees to Delay Budget Deadline to Give More Time for Deal With Netanyahu

Defense Minister Benny Gantz’s Kahol Lavan party said Sunday that it has agreed to postpone the Tuesday deadline to pass Israel’s 2020 state budget by one week, in a move that could give it more time to negotiate a deal with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud to avoid what would be a fourth election cycle in two years.

20.12.2020 - 15:08 [ Haaretz ]

Gantz Agrees to Curb Justice Minister’s Powers in Deal With Netanyahu to Stave Off Election

Alternate Prime Minister Benny Gantz has agreed to curb Justice Minister Avi Nissenkorn’s powers, sources said, in bid to stave off election.

In return, Gantz hopes to cement the rotation agreement for the premiership with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is upheld.

20.12.2020 - 10:33 [ Haaretz ]

Three Days to Stave Off Election: Gantz Met With Netanyahu Rival Sa’ar

Defense Minister and Kahol Lavan chairman Benny Gantz met on Saturday with breakaway Likud lawmaker Gideon Sa‘ar, three days before the Knesset is expected to disband.

18.12.2020 - 08:45 [ Jerusalem Post ]

Attorney-General to High Court: Don’t overturn unity gov’t

It was unclear whether the High Court could ever strike down a quasi-constitutional basic law, he said. In any event, if it were possible, it would need to be a far more extreme law, implying something criminal or actively undermining democracy, he added.

Furthermore, Mandelblit rejected the notion that the coalition was abusing or ignoring the will of the voter by forming coalitions they had vowed not to form.

18.12.2020 - 08:35 [ Haaretz ]

Netanyahu Preparing Another Request for Lawmakers to Grant Him Immunity

(30.11.2020)

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is preparing to ask the Knesset again for immunity from prosecution in his corruption cases, based on his lawyers’ argument that the criminal investigation against him was flawed and should be reconsidered.

In the past month, the prime minister has told associates that he is weighing the benefits of such a move against the possible damage it could do to his image in public opinion.

02.12.2020 - 14:56 [ theGuardian.com ]

Israel moves towards fourth election with no-confidence vote

Wednesday’s vote, which is not final and requires several more readings, was largely seen as a gambit by Benny Gantz, the former head of the opposition who reluctantly joined Benjamin Netanyahu’s coalition this year, to assert his authority.

In a televised speech on Tuesday night, Gantz, who serves as defence minister, accused the country’s longest-serving leader of lying and sidelining his demands, in particular, a proposed budget.

02.12.2020 - 14:38 [ Haaretz ]

Gantz Breaks With Netanyahu, Votes With Opposition to Dissolve Parliament

The Knesset voted to dissolve in a preliminary vote Wednesday, bringing the country closer to a fourth election in under two years.

Sixty-one lawmakers voted in favor, and 54 voted against. The proposal will now go to the Legislative Committee for discussion.

02.12.2020 - 05:29 [ Vol.at ]

Israels Parlament stimmt über seine Auflösung ab

Am Mittwoch steht ein Vorschlag der Opposition zur Auflösung des Parlaments zur Abstimmung. Gantz sagte am Dienstagabend, Blau-Weiß werde den Vorstoß unterstützen. Es handelt sich allerdings um eine vorläufige Abstimmung, für die endgültige Auflösung der Knesset wären drei weitere Lesungen notwendig.

02.12.2020 - 05:24 [ Tagesanzeiger.ch ]

Regierung in Israel wankt: Benny Gantz hat genug von Netanyahus Spielen

Gantz hatte diese Runde der Auseinandersetzung in der vorigen Woche mit einem Frontalangriff auf Netanyahu eröffnet, als er in seinem Ministerium eine Untersuchungskommission einsetzte, die den Kauf deutscher U-Boote näher beleuchten soll. Es geht um den Verdacht der Korruption im engeren Umfeld des Premiers.

02.12.2020 - 03:39 [ Haaretz ]

Gantz Says His Party Will Vote With the Opposition to Dissolve Parliament

Defense Minister Benny Gantz said on Tuesday his party will vote in favor of an opposition-backed bill to dissolve the Knesset, which would come for a preliminary vote on Wednesday, as he continued to butt heads with coalition partner Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

01.12.2020 - 18:59 [ Haaretz ]

Netanyahu Calls on Gantz to Vote Against Dissolving Knesset

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Tuesday that his Likud party will vote against a bill put forth by the opposition to dissolve the Israeli parliament, effectively ending the current government. „We will vote against dissolving the Knesset tomorrow, and for unity, I call on Benny Gantz to do the same,“ he said during a visit to the police’s coronavirus enforcement headquarters.

30.11.2020 - 22:08 [ Haaretz ]

Israel’s Government Is Set to Fall. Here’s How It Got There and What Happens Next

By Wednesday night, the seven months of the Netanyahu-Gantz zombie government could be over and Israel will be on its way to an election in March 2021, the country’s fourth in two years.

03.11.2020 - 06:28 [ i24news.tv ]

Gantz asserts Netanyahu won’t honor coalition agreement: report

Gantz, according to the report, stressed that he is willing to “pay with [his] seat,” but will delay a decision for two weeks.

09.10.2020 - 20:32 [ Haaretz ]

Anarchy Prevails in Israel, and It Starts With Netanyahu

The leader of the right-wing Yamina alliance has gone from being a niche politician to the white knight taking more Likud Knesset seats every week. The voters are crying out for a redeemer, an alternative. For them, Bennett, the opposition leader de facto, is the answer.

In the election campaign Kahol Lavan ran with the slogan “No more right or left.” The proof of that thesis wasn’t provided until the coronavirus crisis, and when it was provided the person who profited from it turned out to be Bennett.

05.10.2020 - 12:00 [ i24news.tv ]

Whispers in Blue and White to dissolve Israeli gov’t intensify: report

More Blue and White party members are calling to end the collaboration with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud party and dissolve the government, broadcaster Channel 12 reported Sunday.

In an interview with Israel’s public radio Kan, chairwoman of the Knesset’s (Israel Parliament) Internal Affairs and Environment Committee Miki Haimovich said that more people within her party are thinking on such a possibility.

05.10.2020 - 02:30 [ Haaretz ]

Lawmaker From Gantz’s Party: More ‚Thinking of Quitting Netanyahu Government‘

Israeli lawmaker Miki Haimovich, a member of Alternate Prime Minister Benny Gantz’s Kahol Lavan party, said on Sunday evening that there is a growing group in Kahol Lavan that is considering dismantling the partnership with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

05.10.2020 - 02:20 [ Haaretz ]

Gantz Knows the Premiership Is Lost and Now His Party Is Raising the Stakes

Passing legislation to keep protests away from Netanyahu’s residence in Jerusalem, to which Gantz’s party didn’t oppose, was the last of too many straws, bringing Kahol Lavan to its limit

04.10.2020 - 08:59 [ Niv Lilien / Twitter ]

תגיד, אתה ראש ממשלה או סמרטוט? תדרשו לפטר את אוחנה ולסיים את העוצר הכללי, או שאתם מפילים את הממשלה. אופציה ב‘ – תעברו ישר לחלק של להפיל את הממשלה. תעיפו את נתניהו!

04.10.2020 - 08:55 [ בני גנץ - Benny Gantz, Verteidigungsminister von Israel / Twitter ]

תקיפת המפגינים הערב ובימים האחרונים בלתי מתקבלת על הדעת. ההפגנות המתקיימות לפי ההנחיות הן דבר לגיטימי וחיוני בדמוקרטיה. אני קורא למשטרה לשים את ידה על התוקפים ולמצות עימם את הדין.

29.09.2020 - 17:22 [ Haaretz ]

The Bibi Cult Has Finally Detached Itself From Israeli Society

Today, none of them would even trust an agreement to buy a bicycle from him. They’ll turn their backs on him when the scent of his weakness strengthens, at which point the Bibi-ists will call them a radical leftist faction financed by the New Israel Fund.

The haters of the old elite and Mapai followed Netanyahu because he promised to destroy these groups – and indeed in this realm he has chalked up a few achievements.

29.09.2020 - 17:01 [ Haaretz ]

Coronavirus Israel Live: Lockdown Won’t Be Lifted Within Month, ‚May Take Much Longer,‘ Netanyahu Says

Also on Tuesday, the Knesset is debating an amendment to the government’s coronavirus law that would bar protesters from traveling more than a kilometer (0.6 mi) from their homes to attend a demonstration.

Outside, hundreds of protesters gathered to protest the legislation, three of whom were arrested by Israel Police.

29.09.2020 - 17:00 [ Haaretz ]

Limiting Protests Back in Focus as Netanyahu Gets Conditional Support From Gantz’s Party

Parliamentary voting will resume after the government failed to complete ratification of the legislation on Friday, and so protests were held Saturday night, as they have been for the past several months on Saturday evenings.

The government has sought to limit the distance protesters can protest to within 1 kilometer from their homes, a restriction which the current version of the law, passed in July, specifically prohibits. The government is now seeking to restrict protesters’ movements.

24.09.2020 - 10:44 [ Haaretz ]

Coronavirus Israel Live: Government Approves Stricter Lockdown, Limiting Protests

„The exact outline for protests will for the moment be very limited, but if they actually allow more prayer, then they’ll allow protests at the same level,“ he said of the new restrictions, which allow demonstrators to protests only within a kilometer of their homes and in groups of 20. „I think that at the moment, the trend is to have solidarity.“

Nissenkorn, a Kahol Lavan member, added that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is not acting cynically and wanted a partial closure, „even after two weeks where protests [in front of his official residence] were not allowed, and neither was going from city to city, he didn’t achieve that.“

21.08.2020 - 03:57 [ Haaretz ]

What Defendant Netanyahu Really Wants

So we must take seriously the report in Israel Hayom, the Netanyahu family’s private journal, saying that the prime minister is willing to give up the one-year budget – and consequently an election – in exchange for appointing the police commissioner and attorney general of his choice.

20.08.2020 - 09:13 [ Jerusalem Post ]

Netanyahu told Likud MK about UAE deal but left Gantz, Ashkenazi in dark

(17.08.2020)

The prime minister did not reveal the deal to Gantz or Ashkenazi, even though they are both former IDF chiefs of staff, because he was afraid they would leak the secret negotiations, Netanyahu said in an interview with the Israel Hayom newspaper published on Monday.
„I have been working on this for years, and they have been here for just a couple of months,“ Netanyahu said.

14.08.2020 - 23:15 [ i24news.tv ]

Poll: 78% of Israelis unsatisfied by current gov’t performance

In the opposite camp, 19 percent said they are happy by the government’s performance while three percent answered they “don’t know.”

The group most unsatisfied are Blue and White party voters, with 91 percent of them unsatisfied by the unity government.

13.08.2020 - 16:20 [ Haaretz ]

A Bruising No-holds Barred Exchange: What We Saw in the Bibi-Lapid Showdown

Gantz has now destroyed his own credibility by joining Netanyahu’s coalition, so has Labor leader Amir Peretz. Lapid remains the only leader of a major party on the center-left. Netanyahu has no choice but to take him on. But while Lapid’s inexperience and dilettantism gives Netanyahu ample ammunition against the former chat-show host and columnist, it also creates a dilemma for him. Attacking Lapid with all guns blazing increases his popularity in the anti-Netanyahu camp, where many have had trouble taking Lapid seriously. Lapid, unlike Gantz, Gabbay and Herzog, is also prepared to follow Netanyahu into the mud.

11.08.2020 - 21:54 [ Times of Israel ]

Gantz: ‘If I emerge from partnership with Netanyahu a sucker, so be it’

(26.07.2020)

Gantz sat down for a lengthy and, at times, combative interview with Channel 12’s Dana Weiss, reacting in frustration at her suggestions that he was out of his depth and being outmaneuvered by Netanyahu at every turn. According to their coalition deal, Gantz is set to become PM in November 2021 as part of the power-sharing agreement between his party and Netanyahu’s, but Israel’s longest-serving premier is said to be seeking ways to avoid having to hand over the post, including by triggering new elections.

11.08.2020 - 21:40 [ i24news.tv ]

Netanyahu demanding changes to coalition deal to prevent elections: report

The Israeli premier reportedly wants immediate elections in case the High Court of Justice disqualifies him from serving as alternate prime minister, after his rotation with Gantz commences in November 2021, due to the indictments filed against him.

His second demand is to dissolve a public committee slated to appoint the state prosecutor and police commissioner and transfer the procedure to the government instead.

The report suggested that Gantz’s Blue and White party will find it „difficult“ to approve Netanyahu’s first request.

11.08.2020 - 21:36 [ Haaretz ]

Kahol Lavan Says Won’t Back Bill Preventing Netanyahu From Forming Future Government

The bill, brought forward by Kahol Lavan’s former political allies Yesh Atid, is aimed at preventing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu from running for office in the next election. Netanyahu currently stands trial for suspected bribery, fraud and breach of trust.

10.08.2020 - 17:18 [ Haaretz ]

‚Election Would Mean Civil War‘: Netanyahu, Gantz Clash Over Budget as Deadline Nears

Gantz’s party said that if the bill was not fully passed on Tuesday, it would be pointless to consider other proposals in the future.

Likud does not plan to agree to the demand, viewing members’ backing of the bill in a preliminary vote is a gesture of goodwill and not having decided on their position.

10.08.2020 - 02:38 [ Haaretz ]

Netanyahu, Gantz Back Bill to Delay Budget Deadline, Potentially Staving Off Election

The bill will be brought to a preliminary vote by the Knesset on Wednesday. Gantz’s party and ultra-Orthodox Shas party announced they would vote in favor.

09.08.2020 - 07:55 [ Haaretz ]

As Israel’s Coalition Crisis Worsens, Weekly Cabinet Session Put on Hold

A clash between Kahol Lavan and Likud has led to the cancellation of the weekly cabinet meeting Sunday, as coalition sources said no further progress had been made on the budget, which may lead to the Knesset’s dissolution on August 25 and another general election.

04.08.2020 - 04:54 [ Haaretz ]

10,000 Protesters Are Nothing? Netanyahu Is Still Sweating

That’s why Netanyahu decided not to submit a one-year budget Sunday. He was afraid Benny Gantz’s Kahol Lavan would oppose it, the government would fall and we’d have another early election. Then the demonstrations would really intensify, the Likud margin would abandon him, he’d lose and go home.

That’s why he’s so nervous. That’s why his words in the cabinet were so crazy and untrue. That’s why he’s sweating.

29.07.2020 - 18:33 [ Times of Israel ]

Gantz: ‘If I emerge from partnership with Netanyahu a sucker, so be it’

(26.07.2020)

Gantz sat down for a lengthy and, at times, combative interview with Channel 12’s Dana Weiss, reacting in frustration at her suggestions that he was out of his depth and being outmaneuvered by Netanyahu at every turn. According to their coalition deal, Gantz is set to become PM in November 2021 as part of the power-sharing agreement between his party and Netanyahu’s, but Israel’s longest-serving premier is said to be seeking ways to avoid having to hand over the post, including by triggering new elections.

29.07.2020 - 18:29 [ Ynetnews.com ]

Gantz: Protests must not be silenced, attackers must face justice

Defense Minister Benny Gantz on Wednesday demanded the arrest of perpetrators of violent attacks on demonstrators calling for the ouster of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

„They must be caught and brought to justice, the protest will not be silenced as long as we are here,“ he said.

08.07.2020 - 19:46 [ Haaretz ]

Knesset Votes Down Probe of Judges as Gantz-Netanyahu Crisis Brew

The Knesset on Wednesday voted against forming a commission of inquiry that will probe conflicts of interest of Supreme Court justices.

Earlier on Wednesday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud party said it would back the initiative by far-right lawmaker Bezalel Smotrich of the Yamina faction to establish such a commission.

Alternate Prime Minister Benny Gantz’s Kahol Lavan party called the move „a declaration of war on democracy.

29.06.2020 - 20:34 [ Haaretz ]

After Gantz Pours Cold Water on Annexation, Netanyahu Says Issue Not Up to Him

„We are in contact with the American team here in Israel,“ Netanyahu said at a Likud meeting. „We are doing so discretely. The issue is not up to [Gantz’s party] Kahol Lavan. They are not a factor either way.“

Earlier on Monday, Gantz met with Trump’s special envoy Avi Berkowitz and U.S. Ambassador to Israel David Friedman to discuss the Trump administration’s peace plan.

26.06.2020 - 16:10 [ i24news.tv ]

Report: Likud party to offer Gantz presidency to scuttle rotation deal

The offer, according to the paper, would upend a rotation agreement between Netanyahu and Gantz for the premiership as stated in their coalition agreement signed earlier this year.

Likud party officials insist it would be „unreasonable“ for Netanyahu to honor the agreement – which allows Gantz to become Prime Minister in November 2021 – due to his politically weakened position, according to a string of national polls.

22.06.2020 - 09:44 [ i24news.tv ]

Report: Netanyahu presents Gantz annexation or election ultimatum

According to the report, Netanyahu was surprised to learn that Alternate Prime Minister Gantz and Foreign Minister Gabi Ashkenazi have many reservations over the annexation plan.

20.06.2020 - 07:56 [ Haaretz ]

As Gantz Implodes, Netanyahu Is Dreaming of Another Election

The polls are predicting 40 to 41 Knesset seats for Likud, with Kahol Lavan plummeting to 10 or 11. And given the trend line of the past two months, Gantz’s party might find itself in the single-digits in a week or two.

Thus, with the rightist/ultra-Orthodox bloc winning 64 to 65 of the Knesset’s 120 seats (not including Avigdor Lieberman’s Yisrael Beiteinu), Netanyahu’s temptation is understandable.

13.06.2020 - 06:01 [ Haaretz ]

Annexation? Israeli Apartheid? Hounding Journalists? Gantz Didn’t Come to Fight

The Kahol Lavan leader seems to have forgotten that his party was supposed to represent an alternative to Netanyahu’s aggressive ways

03.06.2020 - 15:55 [ Haaretz ]

Blue and White Is My Race

The nation-state law is the constitutional cornerstone of apartheid. And naturally, Hauser’s arguments also tie into the intent to annex parts of the West Bank in the framework of U.S. President Donald Trump’s peace plan: Israel intends to expand its violations of its residents’ equal rights on an ethnic/racial basis.

It’s turning out much sooner than expected that when parts of Kahol Lavan joined the right-wing government, their merger was an expression of a deep ideological partnership.

21.05.2020 - 07:40 [ Haaretz ]

Despite Despair, Israel’s Left Must Pick Up and Move On

The left put former generals at its helm and failed (they joined the right), as well as civilian personalities, who also failed to deliver the goods. It tried a decentralized model, with Labor and Meretz running separately, and hit a wall. It learned its lesson and ran as a united front of multiple parties (Labor and Meretz, Kahol Lavan), also meeting no success. It flirted with a post-Zionist concept and a state of all its citizens (Meretz) or, alternatively, highlighting its Zionist image (the Zionist Union), failing both times in garnering public support. …

14.05.2020 - 18:37 [ Haaretz ]

Netanyahu Postpones Swearing in Government Amid Likud Discontent

As of Thursday afternoon, Netanyahu and his coalition partners haven’t completed talks on ministerial appointments, some of which would only apply to the first half the government’s term, before Gantz is set to take over as prime minister in a year and a half.

Long time Netanyahu loyalist and Likud MK Tzachi Hanegbi as well as Likud MK Avi Dichter, tenth in the list, decided to boycott the swearing-in ceremony given that Netanyahu did not offer them posts in the new government.

07.05.2020 - 14:45 [ i24News.tv ]

Israel Parliament votes to approve Netanyahu-Gantz unity government

The Knesset (Israel Parliament) also passed a raft of legislative changes to the country’s semi-constitutional Basic Laws, paving the way for a government to be established after more than a year of political deadlock.

06.05.2020 - 15:51 [ i24News.tv ]

Likud, Blue and White agree to revise unity deal after Supreme Court condemnation

The parties also decided that emergency orders instated to fight the coronavirus pandemic would not extend beyond six months.

The bill known as the „Norwegian law,“ which allows any Member of Knesset (Israel Parliament) appointed to a ministerial post to temporarily resign from the legislative chamber, will reportedly be dropped.

06.05.2020 - 15:15 [ Haaretz ]

Netanyahu Is Above the Law

Every day that passes provides more proof of the twisted state of Israeli democracy, in which a defendant under criminal indictment leads the government and is a candidate to form the next one.

30.03.2020 - 13:05 [ i24news.tv ]

Israel: Gantz’s Blue and White faction finalizes split

The Blue and White alliance finalized its split Sunday, which saw Benny Gantz-led faction, set to form a unity government with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud, divorcing fellow centrist parties Telem and Yesh Atid, who will remain in opposition.

27.03.2020 - 08:20 [ i24news.tv ]

After Blue & White split, Lapid slams Gantz for ‚betraying‘ voters, ‚capitulating‘ to Netanyahu

Lapid, who heads Yesh Atid, told journalists at a press conference that „Benny Gantz decided today to break apart Blue and White and crawl into Netanyahu’s government.“

„What’s being formed today isn’t a unity government and not an emergency government. It’s another Netanyahu government. Benny Gantz surrendered without a fight,“ he added.

27.03.2020 - 02:09 [ Ynet ]

Lapid: Gantz stole votes, gave them to Netanyahu

Lapid lambasted Gantz’s actions as „a betrayal to voters and a theft of votes.“

26.03.2020 - 17:40 [ Jerusalem Post ]

Meretz leader Nitzan Horovitz: You elected Gantz? You got Netanyahu

Horovitz added that Gantz was “spitting in the face” of his voters with his latest decision.

The Meretz leader called on others in the left bloc to not support this move.

26.03.2020 - 17:27 [ Jerusalem Post ]

Blue and White splitting after Benny Gantz elected Knesset Speaker

In a dramatic turn of events, the Blue and White Party that served as the alternative to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the March 2 election, broke up on Thursday after party head Benny Gantz decided to enter Netanyahu’s government.

26.03.2020 - 17:26 [ Gil Hoffman / Twitter ]

After a vote according to new party lines of 74-18 with many boycotts, @gantzbe is now officially speaker of the Knesset. He will soon be foreign minister.

26.03.2020 - 17:21 [ Gil Hoffman, Jerusalem Post's chief political correspondent / Twitter ]

More drama: Yesh Atid formally requested to split out of Blue and White. @yairlapid : @gantzbe decided to crawl into a government with @netanyahu . @bogie_yaalon also breaking off.

26.03.2020 - 17:17 [ Gil Hoffman, Jerusalem Post's chief political correspondent / Twitter ]

In a dramatic turn of events, Blue and White is on the verge of breaking up after @gantzbe agreed to Likud’s demand for him to be the candidate to replace @YuliEdelstein in order to enable a unity government:

25.03.2020 - 04:09 [ i24news.tv ]

Netanyahu’s Likud accuses Blue and White of ’stealing the Parliament‘

Other special committees to be established will focus on education, violence in Israeli Arab communities and labor and welfare; the four special panels will need to be approved by the plenum Tuesday.

These included Finance and Foreign Affairs and Defense panels, with the latter set to establish a special committee that will supervise the contentious Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency)-led coronavirus patients surveillance program.

20.03.2020 - 12:39 [ Haaretz ]

Unity Under Bibi Would Be Capitulation

On top of all that, this would be political idiocy of the highest order, because sooner or later, Gantz and Gabi Ashkenazi will discover what their colleagues in Kahol Lavan’s cockpit, Moshe Ya’alon and Yair Lapid, have already learned through bitter experience: That Netanyahu is exactly what people say of him – a liar, devoid of credibility and dangerous to Israel, just as Kahol Lavan’s leadership so ably explained in election after election. And then, when people once again seek an alternative, nobody in Kahol Lavan’s electorate will give it their vote.

18.03.2020 - 19:49 [ Jerusalem Post ]

Blue and White going to court to force Knesset to meet

Blue and White expressed outrage, accusing Edelstein of „trampling Israeli democracy at Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s behest.“ The party said it would appeal to the Supreme Court against Edelstein on Thursday to force him to convene the plenum and „end the craziness.“

18.03.2020 - 19:22 [ Haaretz ]

Gantz’s Party Seeks Vote on New Knesset Speaker on Monday

(13.03.2020)

Replacing Edelstein could let Kahol Lavan push through legislation to prevent Netanyahu from forming a government while under indictment

17.03.2020 - 20:41 [ i24news.tv ]

Gantz slams decision to track infected citizens for lacking ‚transparency and oversight‘

Taking to Twitter, Gantz wrote that “exceptional times, unfortunately, call for exceptional measures. [However,] Blue & White will insist that the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, along with a special corona sub-committee, the Finance Committee and other sub-committees be enlisted immediately to oversee the process and approve the type of oversight regulation so critical at this juncture.”

He added that “a functional parliament, even and especially in states of emergency, is a hallmark of democracy and we will be steadfast in preserving it.”

12.03.2020 - 19:04 [ i24news.tv ]

Israel: Labor party chief approves Gantz-led minority gov’t with Joint List support

Peretz said that he was still in touch with Orly Levy-Abekasis and was hoping to come to an accord regarding the steps to be taken in the future.

12.03.2020 - 18:57 [ i24news.tv ]

Israel: Too early to dismiss minority gov’t, Blue and White’s Ya’alon says

However, one of the Labor-Gesher-Meretz faction heads announced earlier that she would not back a minority government. Orly Levy-Abecassis also said she was pulling her party out of the left-wing alliance.

10.03.2020 - 08:33 [ Haaretz ]

Netanyahu Must Be Replaced for Israel’s Sake

Kahol Lavan’s raison d’etre is to bring the era of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to a close. It’s no coincidence that they’ve been dubbed the “Just Not Bibi” party. The glue holding the party’s disparate parts together is the absolute certainty of Benny Gantz, and the factions to his left (Yesh Atid) and his right (Telem), that for Israel’s good, Netanyahu must be replaced. That’s why the party was founded, and that’s why people voted for it.

09.03.2020 - 05:31 [ Haaretz ]

Israel Election: Kahol Lavan Confirms Coalition Talks With Yisrael Beiteinu, Joint List

Kahol Lavan confirmed Sunday night that party representatives were in contact with Yisrael Beiteinu and the Joint List over efforts to form a minority government with their support.

A source in Kahol Lavan said nothing will be said to the media “until it’s certain and finalized.”

08.03.2020 - 14:57 [ Noga Tarnopolsky / Twitter ]

The Joint List in a gesture towards Gantz: MK @AidaTuma says „I think there’s no need for a law of return. Whoever [Palestinian Arab citizens] wanted to return are already here.“ #boom

08.03.2020 - 14:48 [ Noga Tarnopolsky / Twitter ]

#BOOM: Gantz in message to Ayman Odeh: „We would never dare to say that the votes of 20% of Israeli citizens are worth less.“ The Joint List chairman has demanded Gantz retract his statement, copied from Netanyahu, about forming a government with a majority.

07.03.2020 - 20:11 [ Haaretz ]

Israel Election Results: Gantz Vows to Form a Government, Says Voters ‚Want an End to Netanyahu’s Rule‘

Joint List MK and Balad Chairman Mtanes Shehadeh said Saturday following Gantz and Netenyahu’s statements that „the arab community has spoken, they want a change in their position and aim for an end to discrimination and racism. Netanyahu would die to disqualify them but could not, and Gantz would have liked to ignore them but he couldn’t.“

06.03.2020 - 14:00 [ i24news.tv ]

Blue and White faction leader backs minority gov’t with Joint List support: report

Previously, he reportedly opposed this idea, but now said during at least two recent meetings that he would be willing to back it on the condition that Joint List’s hardline Balad faction is left out.

28.02.2020 - 12:53 [ Haaretz ]

Gantz Fires Campaign Strategist After He Was Caught Calling Him a ‘Danger to Israel’

In the recordings, published by Israel’s Channel 12 News on Thursday — less than a week before Israelis head to the polls — the strategist was heard telling an anonymous source that his boss might „endanger the people of Israel,“ and that he „doesn’t have the guts to strike in Iran.“

The adviser to the former army chief was also heard saying that a Kahol Lavan lawmaker had harshly criticized the leader of her party. „She [Knesset member Omer Yankelevich of Kahol Lavan] says that he’s stupid and a total loser and that he shouldn’t be prime minister.“

24.02.2020 - 18:58 [ Haaretz ]

Israel Election: Netanyahu Leads Gantz in Polls for First Time

Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud party is projected to win a narrow lead over Benny Gantz’s Kahol Lavan in next week’s Israel election, according to two polls published Sunday by Channel 12 and Kan public broadcaster.

25.01.2020 - 07:48 [ Haaretz ]

Pence: Netanyahu, Gantz Accepted Invitation to White House to Discuss Mideast Peace Plan

Israeli officials say that the plan would promise the application of Israeli sovereignty to all existing Jewish settlements in the West Bank, in addition to annexing the Jordan Valley

21.01.2020 - 17:13 [ ORF.at ]

Israel: Ganz kündigt Jordantal-Annexion an

Der rechtskonservative Ministerpräsident Benjamin Netanjahu hatte bereits vor der vergangenen Wahl im September erklärt, im Falle eines Wahlsieges das Jordantal annektieren zu wollen. Im Dezember sprach er davon, „eine US-Anerkennung unserer Souveränität im Jordantal und allen Siedlungen in Judäa und Samaria (Westjordanland) (zu) erzielen“.

21.01.2020 - 17:05 [ Haaretz ]

Gantz Vows to Annex Jordan Valley, ‚Hopes Trump Releases Peace Plan Soon‘

Up until recently, Kahol Lavan leader opposed publication of peace plan during campaign, calling it ‚outright intervention‘ in Israeli election

21.01.2020 - 17:02 [ Haaretz ]

Whoever Wins Israel’s Next Election Will Be a Right-winger

Kahol Lavan needs to break sharply to the right, not just to attract the voters it needs, but also to make it easier for other right-wing parties to join a Gantz government

12.01.2020 - 15:31 [ Haaretz ]

Israel’s Left Is Acting Like It Really Doesn’t Want Any Votes

It seems as if our leftist politicians have simply given up all hope, or pretense, of getting their act together.

Now they are looking to Kahol Lavan leader Benny Gantz, hoping he will be so kind as to stick his hand into the wading pool in which they are drowning, pull them out and sit them down nicely one next to the other.

26.12.2019 - 13:29 [ Tagesschau ]

Likud wählt neuen Chef: Netanyahu – oder noch weiter rechts

„Das wäre nicht passiert, wenn es nicht bereits zwei gescheiterte Versuche Netanyahus gegeben hätte, eine Koalition zu bilden. Alles deutet darauf hin, dass Netanyahu auch nach einer dritten Neuwahl kein Bündnis bilden kann.“ Denn weiterhin schließen mögliche Koalitionspartner eine Zusammenarbeit mit Netanyahu aus: Avigdor Lieberman und dessen Partei Israel Beitenu sowie das Bündnis Blau-Weiß von Benny Gantz.

10.12.2019 - 14:01 [ al-monitor.com ]

Arab party reconsiders support of Gantz over Jordan Valley annexation

Jabareen added that if that is the case, Gantz and his faction will not be able to count on the support of the Joint List — an option seriously discussed following the September elections. “There was talk all along the way of our external support to enable the formation of a different kind of government, but this will not happen given the annexation intention and masquerading as Likud II,” Jabareen said.

He reminded us that the Joint List — the Knesset’s third-largest faction — wields significant power both in the domestic political arena and in the international one.

10.12.2019 - 13:50 [ Times of Israel ]

Legal advisers said to warn PM annexation would lead to ICC investigation

Officials in attorney general’s office reportedly say that if Netanyahu extends sovereignty over Jordan Valley, settler leaders and IDF officers could be probed

10.12.2019 - 13:41 [ i24news.tv ]

Blue & White chief: Netanyahu is all talk about annexation, but we’ll do it

In his remarks made at a conference in Jerusalem, Gantz said that Netanyahu turned the annexation of the West Bank — a highly contentious issue — into a talking point, but did little for the people living there.

Blue and White, he said, would be just the opposite – the plans for annexing the Jordan Valley, set to be Israel’s ‚eastern wall‘, are ready, and standing at the helm the party will implement them.

29.11.2019 - 14:29 [ i24news.tv ]

Report: Knesset speaker failed to form unity gov’t under his leadership

According to the report, Edelstein planned to announce an agreed deal in a press conference on Wednesday, after receiving signatures supporting the move from Blue & White’s Benny Gantz, Yisrael Beiteinu’s Avigdor Liberman, and two-thirds of the Likud faction.

However, at the end of a five-day political maneuver, the Likud’s second on the Knesset list — preceded only by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu — realized he does not have enough votes to push forth the idea,

23.11.2019 - 22:08 [ Haaretz ]

Gantz Says Netanyahu ‚Risks Igniting Civil War,‘ Calls on Likud Members to Speak Out

Alluding to Netanyahu’s role in the right-wing campaign against former Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin in the run-up to his assassination, he said: „Someone who spearheaded the harsh and painful campaign against Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin of blessed memory, which ended in a national disaster, should know that dangerous words are doomed to turn into deadly bullets.“ He added that „a true patriot“ would not „hold Israeli citizens hostage to his legal battle.“

21.11.2019 - 06:14 [ 24news.tv ]

Gantz returns mandate to president, blames Netanyahu for failure to form gov’t

“No party leader is above the nation,” the centrist leader continued. “Netanyahu must remember, there is still a democracy in Israel even if it appeals to him less.”

The former military chief stipulated that there is no citizen whose vote is not worthy; regardless of sector, ethnicity or religious faith. “I was ready to make far-reaching compromises in order to create a united and stable government,” he added.

21.11.2019 - 06:12 [ ORF.at ]

Israel: Ganz gibt Mandat zu Regierungsbildung zurück

Scheitert auch das innerhalb der nächsten 21 Tage, droht Israel eine dritte Parlamentswahl innerhalb eines Jahres. Dann würde das Parlament automatisch aufgelöst. Innerhalb von 90 Tagen müsste dann regulär eine Neuwahl angesetzt werden. Sie könnte nach Medienberichten in der ersten März-Hälfte stattfinden.

20.11.2019 - 18:58 [ Tagesschau ]

Keine Koalition in Sicht: Israel steuert auf Neuwahl zu

Weder die rechtsgerichtete Likud-Partei von Netanyahu noch Gantz‘ Mitte-Rechts-Bündnis Blau-Weiß konnte sich bei der Parlamentswahl im September eine Mehrheit sichern. Liebermans laizistisch-nationalistische Partei Israel Beitenu gilt seitdem als Königsmacher.

18.11.2019 - 14:07 [ i24news.tv ]

Poll: 49% of Israeli-Arabs back minority gov’t led by Benny Gantz

The survey, commissioned by Army Radio, showed 49% of Israeli-Arab citizens supporting the Joint List, made up of four separate Arab parties, backing Gantz from outside a coalition government even if it includes secular right-wing politician Avigdor Liberman, head of the Yisrael Beiteinu party.

17.11.2019 - 09:51 [ Reuven Rivlin, President of the State of Israel / Twitter ]

The meeting between President Rivlin and chair of Kachol Lavan at Beit HaNasi has ended. Gantz updated the president on the coalition negotiations and discussed the president’s outline in an attempt to prevent further elections. The two agreed to remain in touch as necessary.

(16.11.2019)

12.11.2019 - 18:32 [ Times of Israel ]

It’s almost unthinkable, but how would a minority government work?

(17.10.2019)

In principle, the candidate whom the president grants the right to form a government does not need a majority of 61 to do so. All that is really needed is a situation in which more hands vote in favor of the government than oppose it.

02.11.2019 - 13:50 [ i24news.tv ]

Israel: Gantz, Joint Arab List leaders say coalition talks held in ‚positive spirit‘

Earlier on Thursday, a meeting between Blue & White’s representatives and Netanyahu’s Likud negotiating team ended with no major breakthrough, Hebrew-language broadcaster Channel 12 reported.

01.11.2019 - 12:58 [ Haaretz ]

Rare Moment in Israeli Politics as Gantz Meets Arab Party Leaders for Coalition Talks

Kahol Lavan leader Benny Gantz met on Thursday with the leaders of the Joint List, an alliance of four Arab-majority parties, as part of his effort to form a governing coalition after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu failed to do so.

29.10.2019 - 08:07 [ Haaretz ]

Gantz Says No Progress Achieved in Talks on Unity Government With Netanyahu’s Likud

Yair Lapid, the No. 2 on the Kahol Lavan roster, said at the party meeting that a government can’t be created in the space of 48 hours, and that all Netanyahu had to agree to was to be second in the rotation – i.e., to agree that Gantz serve as prime minister first, then Netanyahu. But what Netanyahu wants is a third election, Lapid said.

“That’s what his lawyers suggested to him, that’s what he needs because of the indictments,” Lapid said.

27.10.2019 - 17:44 [ Lahav Harkov, Senior Contributing Editor, The Jerusalem Post / Twitter ]

Gantz and Netanyahu are currently meeting in Tel Aviv

27.10.2019 - 10:44 [ Times of Israel ]

Gantz to meet with Netanyahu on Sunday, Liberman and Horowitz in following days

According to reports in the Hebrew media, Gantz could offer Netanyahu a “compromise deal” that would force him to choose between including his religious allies in the coalition, and being prime minister first in any rotation deal.

29.09.2019 - 11:59 [ Haaretz ]

If Center-left Forms Gov’t With Haredis, We May Support It, Arab Israeli MK Says

MK Ofer Shelah of Kahol Lavan, who was interviewed after Tibi, said he did not rule out such a proposal.

26.09.2019 - 00:49 [ Reuters ]

Netanyahu tapped by Israel’s president to form new government

Israel’s president tasked Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday with assembling a new government after power-sharing talks with his strongest rival, Benny Gantz, failed following an inconclusive election.

24.09.2019 - 14:41 [ Haaretz ]

Israel Election Results: Gantz Capitulates Without Battle

Less than a week after his impressive electoral achievement, the head of the largest Knesset faction, Kahol Lavan leader Benny Gantz, conceded his right to be the first to try and form a coalition government. The explanation given by “party sources” for this concession is that Gantz prefers to wait for Netanyahu to try first and fail.

Regrettably, this lame excuse is unconvincing. This move looks like a capitulation without a fight, an admission that the right wing’s long-standing tactic of delegitimizing parties representing Arab society succeeded.

24.09.2019 - 07:19 [ Haaretz ]

Benny Gantz’s Tactical Waiting Game Is Too Clever by Half

Netanyahu getting a first nod from the president would land a harsh blow on the center-left’s morale, which could facilitate Netanyahu’s plan to divide the party from within. The nightmarish vision of Netanyahu settling back in the driver’s seat and recklessly pushing the gas pedal to reach his target would make a mockery of his clear-cut defeat in last Tuesday’s election. While Gantz and his colleagues rejoice over sucker Netanyahu supposedly falling into their well-laid trap, their supporters will see them as naive novices who could soon add insult to injury by reneging on their main pledge not to participate in his coalition.

24.09.2019 - 07:04 [ Times of Israel ]

Gantz, Netanyahu meet at President Rivlin’s residence to launch unity talks

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (L) shakes hands with Blue and White party leader Benny Gantz (R) as President Reuven Rivlin looks on, at the President’s Residence in Jerusalem, on September 23, 2019.

23.09.2019 - 15:51 [ New York Times ]

Israeli Report Cites a Thwarted 2010 Move on Iran

(04.11.2012)

Mr. Ashkenazi and Meir Dagan, who was the head of the Israeli intelligence service, the Mossad, at the time, would later say that this was an attempt at “stealing a war,” Ms. Dayan reported, because in their view such an order required a decision of the full cabinet, not the smaller group in the meeting, who were then known as the forum of seven.

Both Mr. Ashkenazi, who is now retired, and Mr. Dagan, who stepped down after the meeting, have become vocal critics of plans for a unilateral Israeli attack on Iran, and of Mr. Netanyahu and Mr. Barak’s aggressive approach.

23.09.2019 - 15:45 [ theGuardian.com ]

Ex-Israeli spy boss attacks Netanyahu and Barak over Iran

(28.04.2012)

Diskin’s remarks followed a furore over comments made on Wednesday by Israel’s serving military chief, Benny Gantz, which starkly contrasted with Netanyahu’s rhetoric on Iran. Gantz said he did not believe the Iranian leadership was prepared to „go the extra mile“ to acquire nuclear weapons because it was „composed of very rational people“ who understood the consequences.

23.09.2019 - 15:38 [ New York Times ]

Israeli Army Chief Says He Believes Iran Won’t Build Bomb

(26.04.2012)

The Israeli military chief described the Iranian government as “rational” in interviews published Wednesday and said he did not believe it would build a nuclear bomb, appearing to put some distance between himself and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Ehud Barak.

“I believe he would be making an enormous mistake, and I don’t think he will want to go the extra mile,” the chief of staff of the Israeli Defense Force, Lt. Gen. Benny Gantz, told the left-leaning newspaper Haaretz, referring to Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

21.09.2019 - 10:45 [ CNN ]

Netanyahu trails Gantz by two seats in latest Israeli election results, ahead of scrap to form coalition

Gantz’s Blue and White Party have 33 seats to Likud’s 31 in the latest standings from Tuesday’s do-over election, according to Israel’s Central Elections Committee.
Election officials say tallies won’t be absolutely final until they have investigated the ballots at 15 polling stations where there were suspected voting irregularities.

20.09.2019 - 18:22 [ LA Times ]

Benjamin Netanyahu’s rival Benny Gantz declares victory for his party in Israel election

(19.09.2019)

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s chief rival, Benny Gantz, declared victory after near-final vote tallies on Thursday showed his party slightly widening a narrow first-place finish in this week’s parliamentary elections.

Netanyahu did not challenge Gantz’s declaration.

18.09.2019 - 22:25 [ i24news.tv ]

Joint List chairman says he could recommend Gantz as PM

Parliamentarian Aymen Odeh told Army Radio Wednesday morning he would consider supporting Netanyahu’s chief political rival as official results trickling in continued to solidify a strong showing for the coalition of Arab parties.

18.09.2019 - 22:17 [ Ynetnews.com ]

Head of Arab faction mulls backing Gantz to form next coalition

The chairman of the Joint List of Arab parties, Ayman Odeh, said Wednesday that he may recommend Blue and White leader Benny Gantz as the next prime minister when he meets with President Reuven Rivlin.

Gantz has already reached out to him, Odeh said, adding that “on Wednesday afternoon, we will decide which path to take.”

18.09.2019 - 22:14 [ Haaretz ]

Israel Election Results: Netanyahu Suffered Defeat Despite the Center-left’s Abysmal Campaign Flop

It could have ended far worse. If Netanyahu had won a few more Knesset seats, he would have secured immunity from prosecution, set up the most extreme government in Israeli history and finished his demolition derby of the country’s democracy. A rare convergence of favorable circumstances – chiefly the uptick in Arab voter participation, the failure of Kahanist Otzma Yehudit and the indifference of Likud voters – combined to spare Israel from a disaster that would have changed the country forever.

18.09.2019 - 17:26 [ Washington Post ]

Israel’s two main parties locked in dead heat as negotiations begin for new government

As of Wednesday morning, Gantz had already reached out to Ayman Odeh, leader of the Joint List, the conglomeration of four Arab parties that scored remarkably well in Tuesday’s election, securing 12 seats.

18.09.2019 - 17:03 [ Martin Indyk, former US Special Envoy for Israeli-Palestinian Negotiations, US Ambo to Israel / Twitter ]

Next phase in Israel is government formation. President Rivlin decides who gets the right to try. Gantz only has mandate to form a government without Bibi. Lieberman and Odeh (Arab Joint List) will likely recommend Gantz because they both want Bibi gone.

17.09.2019 - 10:49 [ CNN ]

In the face of Netanyahu’s annexation plans, his centrist rivals remain silent

Netanyahu’s recent announcements, like a pledge to annex parts of the West Bank he made three days before the April 9th elections, have barely registered in the campaign of Blue and White, the centrist party co-led by Generals Benny Gantz, Moshe „Bogie“ Ya’alon, and Gabi Ashkenazi (all former chiefs of the Israeli Defense Forces) along with former finance minister Yair Lapid

16.09.2019 - 11:22 [ Haaretz ]

Two Days to Election: Netanyahu Goes to DEFCON 1, Guns Blazing, in Last-ditch Effort to Sway Voters

In the process, Netanyahu has successfully relegated what was supposed to be the central issue of this election – his alleged corruption and prospects of indictment – to the sidelines. He has deftly shifted the focus of the campaign to his fortes in national security and foreign affairs. Come what may, he has proven once again that he is the undisputed heavyweight champion of Israeli election campaigns, making his rivals look like clueless amateurs in comparison.

02.09.2019 - 17:13 [ Communist Party of Israel ]

Poll: 78% of Arab Voters Support the Joint List Entering a Coalition

A large majority (76%) of those surveyed supported Hadash MK Ayman Odeh’s declaration last Friday, August 23, that he would join a moderate-center government; 65% of those asked expressed their full support for the Joint List joining a coalition headed by Kahol-Lavan (Blue & White); and 20% responded they neither support nor oppose the such a move.

Youssef Makladeh, the CEO of Statnet, told Maariv: “This isn’t new; past surveys have indicated that the Arab community in Israel is more interested in more pragmatic leadership that will work towards solving more acute issues, such as curbing the spread of violence, [achieving] building permits [for Arab towns], [developing local] infrastructure and sewage management [for their places of residence].” Makladeh added, “For the first time in a decade, an Arab leader has thrown the ball into the court of the Jewish parties.”

27.08.2019 - 15:27 [ Haaretz ]

An Escalation With Iran, and Israel’s Opposition Is Silent

In Israel there is no opposition; this disturbing realization is becoming clearer.

26.08.2019 - 17:32 [ Haaretz ]

Anyone but Cowardly, Warmongering Kahol Lavan

Vote left, vote right, just don’t vote nothing. The nothing of Kahol Lavan isn’t merely nothing, it’s an actively destructive nothing. It suffocates any possibility of providing an alternative and eliminates any hope for change.

26.08.2019 - 17:29 [ Communist Party of Israel ]

Zionist Blue & White Rejects Joint List Participation in Any Coalition

Joint List Chairman Ayman Odeh is prepared to recommend that Kahol Lavan’s Benny Gantz form a government, and that the united slate of Joint List would be willing to join a center-left coalition, he told in a long interview published by the Israeli daily newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper Friday morning.

MK Odeh’s comments drew ire from across the Zionist political spectrum, ranging from Kahol Lavan to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud. In the interview, Odeh formulated a list of demands with regard to the end of the occupation of the Palestinian territories, welfare issues and Arab public needs. If Kahol Lavan accepts these terms, it would prepare the grounds for Joint List to join the government, for the first time in Israeli history.

24.08.2019 - 21:42 [ Haaretz ]

Joint List Says It Doesn’t Outright Reject Joining Government After Arab Israeli Leader’s Overture

The Joint List slammed the other political parties, made up of Jewish lawmakers, for not taking an interest in the opinions of Arab lawmakers. „It’s pretty clear that the Zionist parties that make up governments do not acknowledge our natural right to influence decision-making. This was apparent after Ayman Odeh made his declarations and put the political arena to the test.“

Odeh said in an interview with Israeli daily Yedioth Aharonot that he would be willing to recommend Gantz to President Reuven Rivlin as the candidate for making up the coalition, and that he would also be open to joining a center-left governing coalition.

22.08.2019 - 19:42 [ Times of Israel ]

Top Arab lawmaker says he is willing to join a center-left government

On Thursday, the Yedioth Ahronoth daily published a preview of an interview with Odeh that will be published in full on Friday, leading with a quote of him saying he was “willing to join a center-left government.”

However, he laid out several conditions for joining such a coalition.

22.08.2019 - 19:41 [ Haaretz ]

Israeli Arab Party Leader Signals Historic Shift – and Brews a Political Storm

Ayman Odeh says he’s willing to sit in center-left coalition, demands establishing Palestinian state, ending occupation – but other leaders in his party say they were not consulted on this deal, and Kahol Lavan were quick to rebuff

12.08.2019 - 23:15 [ Jerusalem Post ]

Democratic Union blasts Gantz over willingness to form govt with Netanyahu

Speaking to the press in Tel Aviv, the three leaders of the Democratic Union – MK Nitzan Horowitz, MK Stav Shaffir and former prime minister Ehud Barak – also took Blue and White to task for what they described as its right-wing policies, arguing that the party would not replace, but instead participate in, a right-wing government.

12.08.2019 - 23:06 [ Times of Israel ]

Gantz says he’ll consider joining Netanyahu government if he gets to be PM first

“He wanted us to split up Blue and White and offered to bring us in under all kinds of conditions,” he said. “He offered me anything I wanted in return. But still, we stuck to our principles.”

Gantz added, though, that had Netanyahu “offered a rotation deal where I was prime minister first, then there would have been something to talk about.”

08.08.2019 - 18:36 [ Haaretz ]

Instead of Tossing Out Fantasies, Kahol Lavan Promises Voters a Good War

Tell me, Kahol Lavan, have you lost your minds? Did you get sunstroke? Were you blinded by the neon lights at the office of your political strategist Moshik Teumim? This is your election campaign – war before everything?

03.08.2019 - 12:53 [ Jeremy's Knesset Insider ]

Channel 13 Poll: Likud 30, Blue & White 29, United Right 11, Yisrael Beitenu 11, Joint List 11

55 [55] Center-Left-Arab Bloc (Have ruled out nominating Netanyahu for PM)
54 [60] Right-Religious Bloc (Have ruled out nominating Gantz for PM)
11 [05] Pushing Unity Government (Liberman)

26.07.2019 - 10:03 [ i24news.tv ]

Likud maintains razor-thin lead over center bloc ahead of Israel elections: poll

(25.07.2019)

The right-wing Likud maintains a razor-thin lead over Blue and White, projected to win 31 seats in the Israeli parliament (Knesset) compared to the centrist party’s 30 seats if elections were held today, according to a joint poll between i24NEWS and Israel Hayom.

27.06.2019 - 18:16 [ Ynetnews.com ]

Gantz: September elections irreversable, Netanyahu lying

„Netanyahu pressed the button for the Knesset dissolution and there is no turning back,“ Gantz says in a statement to the media from Tel Aviv. „Netanyahu sees (election) polls and invents lies.“

23.06.2019 - 20:37 [ Algemeiner.com ]

Sources: Likud and Blue and White Parties Discussing Canceling Elections, Forming Unity Government

Netanyahu and Blue and White party co-chairman Benny Gantz are reportedly not personally involved in any negotiations over a unity government.

Blue and White issued a statement reacting to the report, saying, “There is only one option for cancelling the elections: Netanyahu steps down to deal with his legal issues and Blue and White will lead a wide government.”

17.06.2019 - 06:01 [ Haaretz ]

Yair Lapid Says Coalition With Netanyahu, Lieberman Is the Right Thing for Israel

Yair Lapid, the co-chair of opposition party Kahol Lavan, said on Sunday that he believes a unity government headed by his outfit is the „right thing for Israel.“

Lapid said he would agree to form a coalition with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in response to comments made by former Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman on Saturday.

09.06.2019 - 13:53 [ Haaretz ]

Kahol Lavan Goes AWOL

Also, back in April, neither Kahol Lavan chairman Benny Gantz nor leading party figure Gabi Ashkenazi bothered to attend the seminar for new MKs, meant to prepare them for working in the Knesset.

Taken together, these reports paint an unflattering picture of an amateurish, disorganized, lazy opposition party. Despite the military background of some of its leaders, formulating a strategy and pursuing it with determination and consistency doesn’t appear to be the party’s modus operandi.

05.06.2019 - 06:00 [ Times of Israel ]

Lapid says Netanyahu turning Israel into Iran by agreeing to gender segregation

TV report uncovers draft agreement between Likud and ultra-Orthodox parties to change law barring discriminatory separation between men and women in public

09.04.2019 - 10:59 [ Tagesschau.de ]

Parlamentswahlen in Israel: Schicksalstag für Netanyahu

Israel wählt heute ein neues Parlament. In Umfragen liegen die Likud-Partei von Premier Netanyahu und das „Blau-Weiß“-Bündnis von Ex-Armeechef Gantz gleichauf.

08.04.2019 - 22:10 [ Ruptly / Youtube ]

Israel: ‚We are half a metre from winning‘ – Gantz on election

Blue and White (Kahol Lavan) Party leader, Benny Gantz said that his party is „half a metre from winning,“ in Tel Aviv on Monday, as parties scrambled to rally last-minute voters for the upcoming national election. „Friends, we need two more seats, and we must have two more seats. It is only a few tens of thousands of people,“ Gantz said.

06.04.2019 - 20:08 [ Haaretz ]

Netanyahu Says Will Begin Annexing West Bank if Re-elected Prime Minister

„A Palestinian state will endanger our existence and I withstood huge pressure over the past eight years, no prime minister has withstood such pressure. We must control our destiny,“ the premier said.

After boasting that he was responsible for U.S. President Donald Trump’s declaration recognizing Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights, Netanyahu told the program „Meet the Press“: „Will we move ahead to the next stage? Yes.

03.04.2019 - 06:58 [ Haaretz ]

Poll: Netanyahu’s Likud Overtakes Gantz’s Kahol Lavan; Labor Surges to 14 Seats

A new poll published by Israel’s Channel 13 Tuesday night predicted that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud party would overtake his rival Benny Gantz’s Kahol Lavan.
According to the poll, Likud would get 29 Knesset seats if elections were held today, whereas the political alliance headed by Gantz would get 28 seats.

03.04.2019 - 06:51 [ Haaretz ]

Network of Fake Social Media Accounts Boosting Netanyahu Ahead of Election, Report Says

A network of hundreds of social media accounts has been working to boost Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s re-election campaign and smear his opponents ahead of next week’s election, the New York Times and Israeli daily Yedioth Ahronoth reported on Monday, citing a report by a watchdog group.

02.04.2019 - 13:04 [ Ynetnews.com ]

Gantz: Netanyahu leading campaign of terror on Israelis‘ consciousness

Blue and White leader lashes out after report says fake Facebook, Twitter network operating to promote prime minister’s reelection on April 9; party says it has filed complaint with police

02.04.2019 - 11:30 [ New York Times ]

Twitter Network Uses Fake Accounts to Promote Netanyahu, Israel Watchdog Finds

An Israeli watchdog group has found a network of hundreds of social media accounts, many of them fake, used to smear opponents of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in next week’s election and to amplify the messages of his Likud party, according to a report to be released Monday.

The messages posted on the network’s Twitter and Facebook accounts are frequently reposted by prominent Likud campaign officials and by the prime minister’s son, Yair Netanyahu, the report says.

02.04.2019 - 11:28 [ Ynetnews.com ]

An army of fake social media in the service of Netanyahu

According to the findings of the Big Bots Project, this network has posted more than 130,000 times in Hebrew on Facebook and Twitter – posts that have had 2.5 million hits in Israel. These posts have the sole purpose of praising Netanyahu and spreading false information about his rivals, primarily his main challenger Benny Gantz, the former IDF chief who leads the Blue and White Party.

01.04.2019 - 09:28 [ Haaretz ]

Israeli Arabs Aren’t Flocking to the Polls

This is a serious mistake. High turnout among Arab Israelis isn’t only critical to bolster their sense of belonging to the state; it’s also a necessary condition for replacing the government. Netanyahu understands this very well. That’s why he has made keeping the Arabs away from the polls a key political goal – in order to keep the left out of power.

01.04.2019 - 08:18 [ Times of Israel ]

Gantz said to ask Shin Bet to probe whether Mossad behind leak of phone hack

(today) The Mossad, Israel’s foreign intelligence agency, is currently headed by Yossi Cohen, who was chosen for the post by Prime Minister Netanyahu after serving as his national security adviser.

01.04.2019 - 08:04 [ Haaretz ]

Former Mossad Chief: Leaking Hack of Gantz’s Phone ‚An Attack on Democracy‘

(18.3.2019)

Even if Iran really turns out to be responsible, it does not amount to more than an embarrassment, Pardo said. „Anybody who understands anything about cyber security knows that if somebody wants to do harm – illegitimately and unethically – they can disseminate fake, fabricated information – and go prove that it’s wrong.“

01.04.2019 - 05:51 [ Jerusalem Post ]

Netanyahu: If Gantz can’t protect his phone, how will he protect the country?

(18.3.2019)

“He was supposed to protect his phone. That is his personal failure. If Gantz can’t protect his phone, how will he protect the country?” Netanyahu asked. “Second, Gantz and Lapid supported the dangerous nuclear deal with Iran, the deal that I fought and I am glad that I acted successfully to convince the president of the US to leave and to renew sanctions on Iran.”

01.04.2019 - 05:30 [ Haaretz ]

Report: Gantz Demands Probe to See if Mossad Leaked News of Phone Hack

Speaking at a joint press conference with Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, Netanyahu responded to the report about Gantz’s request that the Shin Bet investigate, saying,“They [Kahol Lavan] are trying to drag the Mossad, that magnificent organization that protects Israeli security, into the political discourse. That mustn’t be done, and I don’t plan to let it pass. The leaks about Gantz came from the headquarters of [Yesh Atid Chairman Yair] Lapid and Gantz, so I am calling on them to show responsibility, be statesmanlike, and leave the Mossad and the Shin Bet out of politics. We have enough things to fight about.”

25.03.2019 - 05:50 [ Haaretz ]

‚If Netanyahu Had a Way to Get Me Hurt, Killed, He Would,‘ Gantz Says in Leaked Recording

In the recording, broadcast on Israeli television news, Gantz said Netanyahu may have coordinated with the Russians to hack his phone

24.03.2019 - 11:02 [ Haaretz ]

Benny Gantz Is Either Cowardly or Immoral

Let’s make it simple: Benny Gantz is either a coward or an immoral person. There’s no third option. These are the only possibilities, in light of his refusal to state clearly his preferred solution for the Palestinian issue and his unbelievable refusal to discuss the occupation. It’s hard to say which option is more disheartening.

24.03.2019 - 10:27 [ ORF.at ]

Knesset-Wahl: Duell in Israel wird zu Schlammschlacht

In israelischen Medien wird davon ausgegangen, dass das Netanjahu-Lager die Information an die Medien weiterspielte, um Gantz unter Druck zu bringen.

Dieser wies alle Vorwürfe zurück und bestritt die Behauptung Netanjahus, auf dem Handy hätten sich sensible Daten befunden. Er sei daher auch nicht erpressbar. Netanjahu griff Gantz bei einer Pressekonferenz jedoch an und warf ihm vor, die Unwahrheit zu sagen: „Was wissen die Iraner über dich, das du uns nicht sagst?“

24.03.2019 - 10:19 [ Times of Israel ]

Gantz: I won’t quit prime minister race over Iranian phone hack

(19.3.2019) Blue and White leader challenges Netanyahu to debate, says there was nothing sensitive on device and his wife supports him; rules out coalition with Arab Israeli parties

22.03.2019 - 13:10 [ Haaretz ]

Gantz Refuses to Be an Alternative

First, in all the interviews he evaded giving a direct answer, which would clarify whether he and his ticket support the two-state solution. Hard to believe, but such a basic question was left without an answer, apart from evasive, cowardly beating around the bush.

15.03.2019 - 19:42 [ Haaretz ]

Gantz Denies Sex Tape After Iranians Hack Phone, Says There’s No Threat of Extortion

In special press conference, main Netanyahu rival calls the story ‚a political spin,‘ said no compromising data was found in phone ■ Likud petitions election committee not to allow live broadcast for fear of electioneering

15.03.2019 - 19:42 [ Haaretz ]

Gantz Keeps Falling While Far-right Zehut Stabilizes, Poll Shows

As it stands, Kahol Lavan maintains a lead of only three seats.

The poll also shows that if the elections were to take place today, six parties would teeter on the brink of the electoral threshold. Avigdor Lieberman’s Yisrael Beiteinu, the United Arab List-Balad, Meretz, Moshe Feiglin’s Zehut party and Naftali Bennet and Ayelet Shaked’s Hayamin Hehadash would all make the minimum four seats needed to enter Knesset.

15.03.2019 - 09:55 [ Alexandra Allio De Corato ‏/ Twitter ]

Israel says Iran hacked phone of ex-general Gantz whose party leads in the polls ahead of Israeli election

12.03.2019 - 18:02 [ Haaretz ]

A State on the Edge of the Abyss

It’s a shame that Benny Gantz and his partners are trying to mimic Likud instead of presenting a program to pull Israeli society – its growing minorities in particular – from an educational brink

11.03.2019 - 16:14 [ Kommunistische Partei von Israel ]

Polls: Netanyahu Can Be Defeated; Hadash-Ta’al to Be 3rd Largest List

A week after the Attorney General’s decision to indict far-right Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, several surveys conducted by the Israeli media indicate a reversal in the neck and neck race between the blocs, with 61 seats now predicted for the center and left, as opposed to 59 for the right.

10.03.2019 - 17:49 [ Haaretz ]

Gantz’s Party Releases Platform: Deepen Separation From Palestinians, Strengthen Settlement Blocs

(6.3.2019) Kahol Lavan, the new party headed by Benny Gantz and Yair Lapid, released its party platform on Wednesday in advance of the April 9 Knesset election.

27.02.2019 - 19:34 [ Haaretz ]

Netanyahu’s Mussolini-style ‚Red Menace‘ Scare Tactics Threaten Israeli Democracy

After successfully instilling public opinion with an automatic association between “the left” and disloyalty in the service of malevolent foreigners, Netanyahu and his Likud messengers are studiously attaching the stigma to their political rivals including, most ludicrously, former Chief of Staff Benny Gantz and his newly-formed Blue and White party, which would be classified as center-right by any normal standard. For those too dense to comprehend, Netanyahu now insists on expanding the term “left” with the arguably racist determiner “backed by Arabs” to drive home the opposition’s subversive treachery.

24.02.2019 - 14:18 [ Haaretz ]

Gantz Will Overtake Netanyahu by Six Knesset Seats, Poll Predicts

The poll, conducted over the weekend after final party rosters were submitted to Israel’s Central Elections Committee on Thursday, saw Kahol Lavan getting 35 Knesset seats and Likud, Israel’s ruling party, 29.

The survey also showed that a center-left-wing bloc would receive as many seats as a right-wing one:

22.02.2019 - 20:08 [ israelnationalnews.com ]

Haredi MK: Lapid-Gantz list will cause ‚civil war‘

Knesset Vice Chairman Yisrael Eichler (UTJ) expressed concern over MK Yair Lapid’s Yesh Atid party joining together with Benny Gantz’s new „Israel Resilience“ party, Kikar Hashabbat reported.

In his opinion, if the Lapid-Gantz joint party comes to power, it will seriously harm the haredi community, causing a bloodless „civil war.“

22.02.2019 - 20:00 [ Jerusalem Post ]

Netanyahu: Lapid, Gantz will endanger security, destroy economy

“We may have a left-wing, Lapid-Gantz government relying on Arab parties. A government like this will destroy our economy. Sooner or later, probably sooner, they will establish a Palestinian state… that will endanger our existence,” he said.

22.02.2019 - 19:54 [ Washington Post ]

Netanyahu’s election rivals merge as Israeli leader makes pact with extreme right

One of those factions is Otzma Yehudit, or Jewish Power, made up of followers of the late Meir Kahane, an ultranationalist American Israeli rabbi. Israeli commentators and U.S. Jewish groups immediately decried the move, saying the faction was clearly an offshoot of Kahane’s Kach party, a group that is designated a terrorist organization by the State Department and banned in Israel.

22.02.2019 - 19:42 [ CBN.com ]

New Blue and White Party Projected to Beat Netanyahu in Upcoming Election

Also part of the Blue and White party alliance is Moshe Ya’alon’s Telem, which made an alliance with Israel Resilience last month.

If the new faction wins the election, Gantz and Lapid would both serve as Israel’s Prime Minister. Gantz will serve for the first two and a half years while Lapid will be foreign minister and Ya’alon will lead the Defense Ministry.