Arab Faction Withdraws Support For Gantz; 55 Recommend Netanyahu, 54 Gantz

In the latest episode in the ongoing political saga in Israel, the Balad faction of the Joint Arab List announced Monday that they were not included in the recommendation submitted to President Rivlin Sunday by the Arab party to enable Blue-And-White leader Benny Gantz to form a government.

The significance of this is that, after Avigdor Liberman’s Yisrael Beitenu party abstained and did not recommend any party leader for prime minister, there are technically speaking more Knesset members recommending incumbent prime minister Binyamin Netanyahu than Benny Gantz. At present, after Balad withdrew their support, 55 Knesset members are supporting Netanyahu’s candidacy to form a government, while 54 others favor Benny Gantz.

Balad submitted a press release stating that they are “opposed to the recommendation of former Chief of Staff Benny Gantz as a candidate for forming a government.” They added that they were not recommending him due to his “right-wing political views which are not so different from the Likud, as well as his bloody and aggressive military biography. Gantz intends to establish a government with Liberman and the Likud. Recommending him is a recommendation for a unity government, which is worse than a right-wing government.”

The Balad decision goes against their own party leader Aymen Odeh’s historic decision to support Gantz in order to “find a way to prevent Binyamin Netanyahu from being prime minister.” This was the first time that an Arab party has recommended a candidate for prime minister, although the Arab parties supported the Rabin government from outside during the Oslo peace process in 1993.

The Balad announcement seemingly paves the way for President Rivlin to give Netanyahu the first opportunity to form a government. At present, with Liberman refusing point-blank to sit with the Joint Arab List and vice versa and with the Likud heading a united bloc of right-wing parties, it is almost impossible for Blue-And-White to find a way of forming a government. Members of Blue-And-White realized this and described the assignment as “difficult, complex and arduous,” stating that their preference is for the Likud to try first to establish a government.

However Likud too realize that it is almost impossible to entice a left-wing party to join them or to persuade Liberman to join the Chareidi parties and therefore some members of Likud would also prefer Blue-And-White to try first and fail before they are called upon to form a government.

Rivlin is expected to announce Wednesday whom he is going to recommend to have the first opportunity of forming a government.