In an attempt to prevent the cancellation of the cabinet meeting on vaccine contracts scheduled for Monday, Finance Minister Israel Katz sent a letter to Defense Minister Benny Gantz requesting him to go ahead with the arrangement.

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Gantz called off the meeting Sunday evening over Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's "refusal" to approve him as permanent justice minister. Gantz has been serving as interim justice minister since Avi Nissenkorn resigned from the post earlier this year and is demanding a permanent appointment before his term expires at the beginning of April. 

According to Katz, unless the government approves the vaccine budget, Israel might miss out on the chance to purchase vaccines for the upcoming year, including inoculations for children. 

"The investment in vaccines saves lives and allows for setting the economy in motion," he wrote on Facebook. "Israel needs to continue to be the leading country in the world on the issue of vaccines, and political disagreements must not prevent the continued treatment of urgent health and economic issue."

Likud echoed a similar sentiment in its statement. "For the sake of appointments and jobs, Gantz is halting the singing of contracts for millions of vaccines that are needed for Israelis in the next round of vaccination. If the government doesn't approve the contracts immediately, inoculation manufacturers can cancel them and send [the vaccines] to other countries. Benny Gantz is acting irresponsibly and is putting the wellbeing and health of every Israeli at risk."

Blue and White sent a letter to the Cabinet Secretariat requesting them to assure that every minister signs a non-disclosure agreement, and as soon as Blue and White received copies of those, "within 48 hours, they would hold a cabinet meeting." Signing non-disclosure agreements is necessary as contracts with vaccine manufacturers are confidential.

Government sources familiar with the matter told Israel Hayom that the initiative to hold the cabinet meeting was Gantz's in the first place. "Only on Thursday, he [Gantz] pushed to hold the meeting. Now, for political reasons, it no longer suits him," Likud confirmed in a statement.

In response, a source close to Gantz told Israel Hayom that "an accused criminal is trying to silence the judiciary system and intimidate it, which is a danger to Israeli democracy, and we will fight it."

"As for the governmental proposal, it is full of loopholes, and it is not clear why it is so urgent, and why are there requests for new budgets when there are [funds] left over from the existing ones?"

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Foreign Minister Gabi Ashkenazi is leaving Alternate Prime Minister Benny Gantz's Blue and White party, he announced Wednesday afternoon.

"I have decided not to continue with Blue and White and I am taking some time to consider what to do next. I thank Benny for his partnership and wish him success. I will continue to serve in my role as long as I am needed," Ashkenazi wrote.

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However, Ashkenazi is expected to remain in his post as foreign minister, at least until the next government is formed.

Ashkenazi had already informed Gantz that he was planning on leaving the party.

As of Wednesday, the prevailing belief was that Ashkenazi would leave politics entirely, although some thought there was still a chance he might join a different party.

In his notification, Ashkenazi wrote, "Blue and White presented an alternative to Benjamin Netanyahu and we decided to exert influence from inside [the government], out of a sense of national responsibility. That is how I operated my entire life, and how I will continue to act. Any place there was a danger to the country or to me – I opted to take on the risk. Changing the conversation from annexing territories is what opened the window of opportunity for the peace agreements, and together we prevented any attempt at political or legal adventures."

Gantz said in response to Ashkenazi's message: "I respect my friend Foreign Minister Gabi Ashkenazi's decision and thank him from the depths of my heart for his partnership these past two years, for the sake of the country.

"Gabi and I have known each other for years and I appreciate him highly. Gabi restored the Foreign Ministry to its natural place as a leading, influential ministry after years in which it was neglected, and did a great deal to stop the annexation plan and promote normalization in the region, and I'm sure he will continue to contribute a great deal to Israeli life," Gantz said.

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Ze'ev Elkin used to be a close confidant of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu but that all changed last week, when he announced he would be leaving Likud and join Gideon Sa'ar's New Hope party. 

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"I was desperate," the veteran lawmaker told Israel Hayom. "I couldn't bring myself to tell people to vote for Netanyahu, claiming that he will make the right decisions for the country.

"I saw no hope. Netanyahu rejected my proposal to postpone the elections and decided to go ahead and hold the fourth one. After Sa'ar resigned from Likud, he asked me to join him. The decision was not easy, but I had no other way of getting out of that vicious circle.

"I learned about Gideon Sa'ar's resignation from the Likud on TV," Elkin said, adding that in the past, he shared his frustrations about Netanyahu's decision-making process with Sa'ar, but the two never discussed forming a new party together. 

Elkin accused the prime minister of deliberately forcing the country to hold the third and fourth elections in hopes of escaping corruption charges.

"He thinks he will be better off if he is an acting prime minister during his trial, and if not, then at least the opposition leader. Netanyahu is dragging Likud into the grave. He will not leave the party even if he loses the election." 

Elkin acknowledged that Netanyahu has done many great things for Israel, but warns "he has come to a dangerous point where he thinks that what is good for him is also good for the country."

Elkin added that Blue and White are also to blame for dragging the country into its fourth elections in two years. He condemned Prime minister-designate Benny Gantz for asking Justice Minister Avi Nissenkorn to resign.

"As soon as Nissenkorn leaves the Justice Ministry, the tragedy of the fourth elections will become a parody. Nissenkorn's insistence on remaining in office prevented the compromise between the Likud and Blue and White and could have prevented the fourth elections.

"The sad part is that this parody comes at our expense. It cost three billion shekels and three months." 

As for New Hope's chance to form a new government, Elkin said that if and when the mandate is imposed on Sa'ar, he will know how to form a government. "I promise you, as soon as Netanyahu is unable to establish [a government], we will be the ones who will do it. Gideon and I are both experienced politicians, and all the knowledge I gained through my work in the Knesset, I will invest in this."

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The Likud will gain one or two mandates in the next election, according to new polls published on Tuesday, while Gideon Sa'ar's party, New Hope, saw a slight drop from previous polls.

A poll conducted by the Midgam polling institute on behalf of Channel 12 News showed the Likud with 29 mandates and New Hope with 18. Channel 13 News' poll, conducted by Professor Camil Fuchs, also showed Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the lead with 28 mandates to 19 for New Hope. A poll conducted by Kantar Media for the Kan public broadcaster, meanwhile, showed Likud with 28 mandates and Sa'ar's party with 20.

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The polls also indicated a small gap between Yair Lapid's Yesh Atid-Telem faction and the Naftali Bennett-led Yamina party. According to Channel 12 News, Lapid will have 16 mandates to Bennett's 13. The Channel 13 News poll said the parties were even closer, with Yesh Atid-Telem receiving 16 and Yamina 14. The Kan poll, however, showed Yamina in the lead with 15 mandates to Lapid's 13.

The polls for Channel 12 and 13 both showed Benny Gantz's Blue and White party with a mere five mandates, while the Kan poll predicted he will finish with six.

The full poll results:

Channel 12 News projected as followed: Likud 29; New Hope 18; Yesh Atid-Telem 16; Yamina 13; Joint Arab List 11; Shas 8; United Torah Judaism 8; Yisrael Beytenu 7; Meretz 5; Blue and White 5; Labor 0; Gesher 0; Habayit Heyehudi 0

Channel 13 News noted as followed: Likud 28; New Hope 19; Yesh Atid-Telem 16; Yamina 14; Joint Arab List 11; Shas 7; United Torah Judaism 7; Meretz 7; Yisrael Beytenu 6; Blue and White 5; Labor 0; Gesher 0; Habayit Heyehudi 0

Kan 11 News predicted as followed: Likud 28; New Hope 20; Yamina 15; Yesh Atid-Telem 13; Joint Arab List 11; Shas 8; United Torah Judaism 7; Blue and White 6; Yisrael Beytenu 6; Meretz 6; Labor 0; Gesher 0; Habayit Heyehudi 0; Otzmah Yehudit 0

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The Likud has made numerous offers for Yamina to join the coalition government even as intensive negotiations with Blue and White were ongoing, Yamina officials told Israel Hayom.

According to the officials, a source close to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu offered Yamina the Defense Ministry and the Justice Ministry. Insisting their goal was to oust the premier from office, Yamina officials said that they refused the Likud's offer. Asked about the report, Likud officials denied the claims, calling them "nonsense."

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Likud officials told Israel Hayom it was their assessment Justice Minister Avi Nissenkorn was trying to torpedo understandings being forged between Blue and White and the Likud. They said Nissenkorn's conduct was a sign he was set to leave Blue and White for Labor and that he would join forces with Yair Lapid's Yesh Atid party down the line.

In the meantime, a potential compromise between Likud and Blue and White that could help Israelis avoid voting for the fourth time in two years appears to be on the table. Israel Hayom has learned that both parties have apparently agreed to postpone the date for passing a state budget to the end of January. At the same time, Blue and White officials emphasized they would not agree to a postponement of the rotation deal. Party officials said that if the state budget deadline wasn't moved back and as a result, the government was dissolved, Blue and White head Benny Gantz would serve as prime minister until the next election.

In a joint statement, Gantz, Nissenkorn, and fellow party member Foreign Minister Gabi Ashkenazi said, "The media discourse is false and does not reflect the conduct of Blue and White. Internal wars are reserved for other parties. We act in unison to achieve the principles of Blue and White. We will not compromise on the existence of a functioning government, through maintaining democracy and the mechanisms of the rule of law and ensuring a state budget that handles the economic corona [outbreak]. Any report or "spin" invented by stakeholders is the opinion of the reporter only. Enough with the lies."

If the 2020 state budget isn't passed by Tuesday at midnight, Israel will head to an election for the fourth time in two years on March 22.

Despite talks being held with Blue and White over the weekend, a senior Likud official told Israel Hayom, "We're pessimistic."

"Nissenkorn put spokes in the wheels and is doing everything to ensure negotiations fail and to take down Gantz," the official said, "The chances of an agreement with Blue and White have gone from 5% to 30%. Gantz is interested in an agreement, but the biggest obstacle is reducing Nissenkorn's authority. The way things look, if there is an agreement, the Knesset will legislate a law to push back the last date for approving the 2020 budget by a month."

As Israel Hayom reported in October, Blue and White officials confirmed Sunday night they would be willing to put off the deadline for submitting the 2020 budget a bit in return for a clear framework that prevents Netanyahu from having clear options for calling another election. This willingness seemingly contradicts Gantz's post to Facebook, Friday, in which he asserted, "I led Blue and White and I established a unity government with Netanyahu because of the corona pandemic and the pandemic of division, and we will remain in the government only if it acts to eradicate both. There will be no compromises."

Both sides have only two days left to try and avoid another election and absent any progress to that end, both parties appear to be issuing statements they will be hard-pressed to walk back later on. The Likud has demanded Nissenkorn either be ousted from the Justice Ministry or be given less authority in his role as justice minister. Blue and White has said there is no chance they will allow that to happen. The Likud has also demanded the rotation deal be postponed, something Blue and White also opposes.

Four Possibilities

Blue and White opposes the Likud's demands in principle, but they continue to insist the state budget be approved, even after the deadline for doing so has been approved. Likewise, there are appointments that have been stalled. Over the next two days, we will learn for certain what direction the Knesset is headed. One possibility is that Likud and Blue and White reach an agreement on the budget and elections are pushed pack by a few months, but the chances of this happening are slim to none.

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A second option would see the Likud succeed in convincing Yamina head Naftali Bennett to join the coalition.

Another option would see the 2020 state budget approved by Tuesday at midnight, something that would send Israel to another election. The chances of this happening are quite high.

The final option, the chances of which are particularly low, is for legislation to dissolve the Knesset to pass the first reading in the Knesset, Monday, and later the second and third readings, and elections to be held on a date to be agreed upon by the different factions.

At the same as Likud and Blue and White are in talks on passing the state budget, an initiative to approve legislation to dissolve the Knesset and move toward an election is moving forward. While the bill passed the first reading, Knesset Speaker Yariv Levin has been in no rush to bring it for Knesset approval in the plenum.

A senior Blue and White official said a debate in the Knesset plenum was postponed because "the Likud opposes decreasing campaign funding and the transparency requirement on social networks." It is Levin's hope that by Tuesday at midnight a compromise on the state budget will be reached and the elections can be pushed off by a few months.

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With Blue and White predicted to crash and burn in the coming election, the rift between party members is growing. The party's polling further deteriorated following the announcement former Likud MK Gideon Sa'ar had established a new political party, in addition to ongoing criticism of the lack of leadership from Blue and White head Benny Gantz.

Blue and White is now divided into two camps. One camp is interested in elections being called immediately so that they can pick the most inconvenient timing for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu – March. On the other hand, there are those who behind the scenes are relaying the message that it is only through Gantz's ouster that the party, now predicted by most polls to garner a measly six Knesset seats, can be saved. At the same time, both camps are still holding out hope a compromise can be reached with Likud and an election can be avoided altogether.

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A senior Blue and White official told Israel Hayom that "reports in recent days of a lack of leadership in Blue and White, and the polls pointing to a dramatic drop in Blue and White's Knesset Knesset seats, and Benny Gantz being poorly suited for the premiership demand we recalibrate our path and examine whether a change to the party leadership is needed.

"Blue and White must remain a governing alternative, and in its current composition, all of this is in question," the official said. "Blue and White was established to replace the government, and to do that it needs to make decisions on who will lead it in the near future," he said.

Should the government fail to pass a state budget, the Knesset will automatically dissolve on Dec. 23, and the country will head to another election. Just seven of the 9 days remaining days are working days where lawmakers can in fact pass a budget, meaning the chances of Likud meeting Blue and White's demands and passing the 2021 budget are practically nonexistent.

Among members of the political system, several suggestions have been made for getting the government out of this mess, for example, by postponing the submission of the budget or amending the state budget law to neutralize the requirement the Knesset automatically dissolve absent a budget. Yet another option would see Blue and White agree to pass the 2020 budget later on, but this would allow Netanyahu to avoid holding up his side of the rotation deal with Gantz, something Blue and White opposes. According to both Likud and Blue and White, no serious talks have been held between the two parties in an attempt to reach a compromise.

"There is no compromise because of Blue and White," a Likud official said. "We want elections around May, but Blue and White wants them as early as possible. We tell them: 'Let's be responsible. We won't harm public health. The great corona crisis will be behind us, and it will be safer to hold elections at this time.

The official said, "If Blue and White continues to insist on elections in March, they'll be committing political suicide."

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Israel Hayom has learned that the two parties – which have been locking horns in recent weeks over the terms of a unity deal that is designed to ensure a rotating premiership – have stepped up their efforts to find a compromise that would break the budgetary impasse that has loomed large of Israel's political world.

Under the power-sharing deal between the two parties, Blue and White Chairman Benny Gantz is to replace Netanyahu in November 2021, but a loophole in the agreement would prevent this from being implemented if no budget is passed. Under Israeli law, without a state budget for 2020, the Knesset automatically dissolves and early elections are triggered. Gantz has recently said that if it appears the no budget is reached by the Dec. 23 deadline, he would seek to disperse the Knesset on his own terms in order to have the election held as soon as possible. As a result of this crisis, he has backed a motion to end the Knesset's term, which has moved forward in recent days.

But under the new plan begin discussed between Netanyahu and Gantz, the Knesset's term would be extended by law, and this, in turn, would result in the delay of the legally mandated budget deadline.

Blue and White denied the report of new talks saying that it is "an utter lie." In a statement sent to Israel Hayom the party said: "Someone is feeling the pressure; there are absolutely no talks between the two parties." Likud has also denied that it was trying to stop the dissolution of the Knesset.

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Were the next elections to be held at this time, the right-wing bloc would win 67 Knesset seats, enough to form a government on its own. The center-left, without Avigdor Lieberman's Yisrael Beytenu party, would receive 46 seats, according to a new poll published by Channel 12 News on Thursday.

The poll projected Likud would win 30 seats, to Yamina's 21, while Blue and White would drop to just 10 seats.

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Both Yesh Atid and the Joint Arab List would secure 17 seats each, followed by ultra-Orthodox Shas and United Torah Judaism parties with eight seats each, and Yisrael Beytenu and Meretz with seven seats each.

Here, too, the Labor, Gesher, Habayit Hayehudi, Derech Eretz ahd far-Right Otzma Yehudit parties cross the prerequisite four-Knesset-seat electoral threshold.

A reunited Yesh Atid-Telem and Blue and White faction, with Blue and White leader Gantz serving as No.2 to Yesh Atid's Yair Lapid, would secure 25 seats, two fewer than both parties would receive if they were to run separately in the election. The move would see the Likud gain one seat for a total of 31.

Asked how a possible bid by Tel Aviv Mayor Ron Huldai as Yesh Atid-Telem's No.2 would impact the election, respondents gave the faction 21 seats, the same as Yamina. Likud would garner 30 seats, while Blue and White would be knocked down to seven seats.

Respondents were also asked which politician they thought was most suited to serve as Israel's prime minister: 31% said named PM Benjamin Netanyahu, 18% said Yamina head Naftali Bennett and 13% named Lapid. Just 7% of respondents said Gantz was best-suited for the job. Twenty-one percent of respondents said no one was suited for the job, while 8% said they didn't know.

Forty percent of respondents said they believed Netanyahu was largely responsible for the fact that Israel appeared to be heading toward another election. Twenty percent blamed the development on Gantz. A quarter of respondents blamed both Netanyahu and Gantz to the same degree.

The survey was carried out by the Midgam polling institute among a representative sample of 500 Israelis 18 and over with a margin of error of 4.4%.

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Israel will not hold another general election "if we see a change of attitude and some cooperation from Blue and White and cooperation, rather than a government within a government," Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Thursday.

In a speech at Ben-Gurion International Airport during an event to mark the first flights to Israel of Emirati air carrier flydubai, Netanyahu said, "Everyone understands that this is leading to an election. I would prefer to concentrate on what we're doing: peace agreements, and bringing [COVID] vaccines to Israel."

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Netanyahu addressed reports that Alternate Prime Minister and Defense Minister Benny Gantz, who is head of Blue and White, had claimed in confidential talks that Netanyahu would not honor the rotation agreement. On Monday, Netanyahu attacked Gantz for the latter's decision to convene a governmental committee of inquiry into the submarines affair, saying, "This is a disgrace. No defense minister has ever made such an egregious use of the IDF."

Blue and White issued a statement responding to the prime minister's remarks: "The one who is violating agreements, holding up appointment, and preventing a state budget from being passed for months out of political and personal motives is Benjamin Netanyahu.

"There is a reason why in every poll, a decisive majority of the public blames Netanyahu for most likely taking us into an election – because it's the truth. If there were no trial, there would be a budget," Blue and White said.

The Likud clarified: "Prime Minister Netanyahu thinks that there is no reason to hold an election, but said that if Blue and White continues to run a government within a government, they will cause Israel to hold another election."

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As the coalition partners continue to wrangle over the matter of the state budget, Blue and White leader and Alternate Prime Minister Benny Gantz warned on Tuesday that "the clock is running out" to resolve the budget issue without an election.

While on a tour of Jerusalem, Gantz said, "The hourglass is running out, no one knows when the last grain of sand will drop, but we are really on the verge. If we don't pass a budget and don't have a functioning government, it looks like we'll go to elections."

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"Elections are not something we want. We joined the government to prevent that. If two conditions are met, there won't be an election, if not, it looks like there will be," Gantz said.

An hour earlier, in a speech to the Knesset plenum, Gantz said, "We're talking loftily about peace with countries in our region. Now it's time to talk about peace among ourselves. The citizens of Israel are watching us, asking the government to reconcile, asking for a functioning government that will serve them during the worst crisis that has befallen us in recent decades, [asking for] a government with permanent officials, a long-term economic plan, in which people work together."

Addressing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu directly, Gantz added, "You know very well that I extended my hand to you, despite difficulties. I did so in order to fight COVID and to avoid the risk of a civil war. I joined you as a partner in the battle for the health, lives, and livelihoods of the citizens of Israel, and not as a partner in an economic and social crime against them.

"You and I both know very well that the Treasury already has a budget for 2021 nearly ready, and I will not lend my hand to keeping it from the people of Israel. We both know that the clock is running out. You have the ability to avoid an economic and social disaster and do the right thing for the citizens of Israel," Gantz said.

A senior Likud official said in response to Gantz's comments that "Blue and White are dragging Israel into a needless election. Instead of showing responsibility, uniting in the fight against COVID, and saving lives, Blue and White continues to run a government within the government. Blue and White and trampling all over the coalition agreement on the matter of appointments and refusing to accept [MK Zvi] Hauser's compromise on the budget, which could be passed within two weeks. It's time for Blue and White to work on behalf of the people, not the polls."

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