A protracted political crisis revolving around Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s legal troubles brings down the coalition government.
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- For the fourth time in two years, Israel will hold elections for prime minister and parliament. The government — a tense coalition of the conservative Likud party and the centrist Blue and White party — collapsed Tuesday, forcing another round of elections on March 23. [NYT / Isabel Kershner]
- That coalition failed to pass a national budget before Tuesday night’s deadline. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will look to stay in power once again in an attempt to work around the current agreement that would have his main rival, Benny Gantz, take over in November 2021. [NPR / Daniel Estrin]
- Netanyahu and Gantz blamed each other for the political crisis. Netanyahu told reporters that “Likud did not want this election” but his party would “win big.” Gantz responded by saying Netanyahu’s comments were “more lies than words.” [BBC News]
- The current government was formed in May, when after a contentious election, Gantz agreed to set aside his opposition to Netanyahu and share power with his rival as Israel battled the Covid-19 pandemic and an economic crisis. [WSJ / Dov Lieber and Felicia Schwartz]
- Netanyahu is facing corruption charges, and many believe he purposely did not pass the budget so that the new elections would delay his trial. “Netanyahu is taking us to elections just so he doesn’t have to show up in court,” Gantz said in a statement. [Bloomberg / Amy Teibel and Ivan Levingston]
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