Political officials are saying that in the past few days, an avenue of dialogue has been established between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Blue and White leader Benny Gantz, with the goal of preventing the dissolution of the Knesset and another election.
For now, this dialogue will allow Netanyahu another grace period at the end of which he could call an election before having to implement the rotation agreement and step down as prime minister.
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According to the officials, shortly after Gantz decided to establish a governmental committee of inquiry into the submarines affair, the defense minister and alternate prime minister notified Netanyahu that the latter had no reason to worry about the committee's findings.
In a message he sent to the Likud Party, Gantz stressed that his intent in establishing the committee of inquiry was to "placate his base," and said he had no doubt that the committee could not affect the prime minister or his stature. Gantz said he thought that Netanyahu would not be asked to testify before the committee, and stressed that the committee's mandate was a very limited, even "toothless," one.
Israel Hayom has learned that the team facilitating dialogue between the two camps includes Gantz's chief of staff Hod Batzar and Netanyahu associates Asher Hayon and Natan Eshel.
Officials also said that in the past few days, the two sides have been sending messages to each other about the state budget and other issues. The backdoor communication also reportedly included a demand by Netanyahu that Gantz remove Justice Minister Avi Nissankoren from his role and forgo the rotation, which is planned to take place in November 2021. Gantz rejected both demands outright.
However, the "dialogue team" is working on a compromise on the budget issue that would allow the Knesset to push the Dc. 23 deadline to pass the 2020 national budget back by three months. This could comprise a capitulation on Gantz's part, as it would allow Netanyahu another chance to pack it in and call an election, thus avoiding the rotation. Both sides are reportedly looking into ways of minimizing the damage and blunt expected criticism of Gantz if he decides to take that course of action.
Gantz is demanding a solid date for the passage of the 2021 budget as a condition for approving the 2020 budget, but Netanyahu has thus far rejected all proposals presented to him.
Meanwhile, Blue and White said Thursday that all reports about a compromise on the budget issue were "total, baseless lies" invented by "people with vested interests."
"No compromise on the budget has been cooked up," Blue and White said.
Responding to the reports about the committee of inquiry into the submarines affair, Blue and White said, "Another bunch of ridiculous babble and 'Arabian Nights' stories. This is a professional, independent committee headed by a judge that will thoroughly investigate the Defense Ministry's acquisition processes."
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