Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been seeking new means to settle the country’s crisis amid anti-government protests and a decline in his popularity.
The premier wants to avoid heading to fourth elections by attempting an internal coup within the government against his ally, alternative PM Benny Gantz, to form a far-right government.
He is working on dividing Gantz’s Blue and White Party by attracting three to four of his 16 lawmakers as well as some of his ministers to an independent bloc, while giving them senior positions and many benefits.
Such a government would include representatives of 63 lawmakers out of the total 120, and would be capable of achieving Netanyahu's main objective, to enact a French law that prohibits taken the premier to trial while carrying out his duties.
This way, Netanyahu continues ruling until the next elections in 2024 and his trial would be suspended during this period.
Head of Yisrael Beiteinu party Avigdor Lieberman said in radio statements on Sunday that Netanyahu is not preparing for his trial although it is supposed to start hearing witnesses in November.
“Most of his lawyers have resigned, and he hasn’t yet replaced them,” he noted.
Lieberman stressed that the premier is reassured he won’t keep the current government, nor he will implement the agreement to hand over the premiership to Gantz.
The crisis between Likud and the Blue and White has intensified.
Gantz has been demanding the government pass a two-year budget for 2020 and 2021, as per the coalition agreement signed between his party and Likud in May.
Netanyahu, however, has insisted on a one-year budget, saying the coronavirus pandemic had upended economic forecasts for next year.
Under Israeli law, the failure to pass a 2021 budget by March would force new elections.
Blue and White has accused Netanyahu of deliberately attempting to violate the coalition agreement with his budget demand in order to avoid having to hand over the prime minister’s post to Gantz in November 2021, as per the deal.
Israeli Army Radio quoted Gantz as hinting to vote on a bill that would prevent a person accused of corruption from being elected a prime minister.
“I still think it is not a good idea to have three indictments against the premier, and I have not changed my opinion in this regard.”
“The prime minister cannot remain in office under an indictment, and we will see what to do if Netanyahu makes a mistake and drags the country into elections,” he stressed.
Netanyahu is standing trial on charges of bribery, fraud and breach of trust in a trio of criminal cases. He denies any wrongdoing.
Meanwhile, thousands of demonstrators took to the streets near Netanyahu’s official residence in central Jerusalem on Saturday night.
Israelis have been calling on Netanyahu to resign, protesting his handling of the country’s coronavirus crisis and saying he should not remain in office while on trial for corruption charges.
While Gantz has defended the protesters, Netanyahu has dismissed them as “leftists” and “anarchists” and inciting violence against him.
