On Tuesday, we saw what a ridiculous position President Reuven Rivlin had placed Benny Gantz in by his decision to tap him to form the next government. Gantz reached out to Deputy Health Minister Yakov Litzman and then to Defense Minister Naftali Bennett and asked for meetings. They both let him know they weren't interested.
Gantz was given the mandate because it suits the Joint Arab List to keep the political impasse in Israel going and making things hard for the Israeli leadership. Because he aligned himself with Balad MKs, Gantz secured 61 recommendations, and Rivlin exercised his judgment. Balad has openly declared its intention to "wage a battle to turn the state of Israel into a democracy of all its citizens, regardless of national or ethnic identity."
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In the past, Balad members described Gantz as someone who suffers from Zionist ideology, and is therefore unacceptable. On Tuesday, in another one of his speeches following his receipt of the mandate to form a government, he used the term "patriotic government." Some would interpret this as forgoing the term that has been accepted since Herzl – "Zionist."
Not everyone in the Arab street likes the support for Gantz. Balad's response: "Removing Netanyahu from power is the No. 1 priority." Balad also issued a statement pointing out what it had secured in negotiations with Gantz: "The first and most important [achievement] – recognition of the principle that no unilateral steps will be taken on annexation of areas of the West Bank; upholding the status quo at Al-Aqsa Mosque; and a stop to the demolition of illegally built homes."
With these "achievements" in place, Gantz launching negotiations for a "unity" government with the Right is a recipe for time wasted on pointless talks that will ultimately result in a fourth election.
Right now, we have a prime minister who is handling the coronavirus outbreak, one of the worst crises in the history of Israel, excellently. Next to him, Gantz looks like a sideshow attraction. Still, Gantz is doing everything so that the work to establish a government winds up undermining the prime minister. The natural, right thing to do – what former Labor party voters wanted – is a unity government under Netanyahu.
Netanyahu has legitimacy that is based on broad popular support and the Right's electoral victory. Gantz, on the other hand, is supposed to form a unity government to which those who recommended him object.
