Israeli Defense Minister and Alternate Prime Minister Benny Gantz will on Sunday hold talks with Finance Minister Israel Katz on the 2020-2021 state budget in an effort to avoid holding the fourth election in a row, the Haaretz newspaper reported.
On Wednesday, the Israeli legislature in preliminary reading passed in a 61-54 vote a bill on self-dissolution. The bill needs three readings to come into law and bring about early elections — the fourth in two years. The Gantz-led Blue and White alliance — a coalition partner of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's Likud party — backed the initiative introduced in light of the criticism of the government's handling of the coronavirus and its economic consequences.
If the national budget is not approved by December 23, the Knesset will be dissolved automatically, moving Israel towards the elections, Haaretz reported, adding that Likud tries to persuade the Gantz alliance to accept a one-year budget, instead of a two-year one, which will give Netanyahu an opportunity to schedule elections for March 2021.
The bill on self-dissolution will be prepared for the first reading in the Knesset committee reporting to the Blue and White party, and the first discussion of it is expected to occur on Monday, according to the news outlet.
The current coalition government was sworn in May, ending the longest political deadlock in Israel’s history that led to three inconclusive elections in less than a year. Under the deal, Netanyahu is set to lead the unity government for 18 months before handing the office over to Gantz in November 2021.