Opposition leader Benjamin Netanyahu harshly criticized Prime Minister Naftali Bennett Thursday for what he called Bennett's mishandling the coronavirus pandemic, which Netanyahu said had resulted in an infection outbreak "that could have been avoided."

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His remarks came as daily coronavirus cases in Israel reached over 3,000 and the government tightened restrictions and mulled instating a national lockdown in September.

"Unfortunately, Bennett is leading us to a lockdown because he wastes precious time waiting for the third vaccine doses to arrive," Netanyahu said, referring to the third vaccine campaign the government launched last week to vaccinate Israelis over the age of 60.

"Bennett failed to bring the millions of vaccine doses the government I headed had already ordered and paid for months ago. We knew already back then that the effectiveness of the second vaccine would decrease over time, and that is why we ordered more doses for the third jab," Netanyahu said.

The former prime minister did not spare Foreign Minister Yair Lapid and Finance Minister Avigdor Lieberman, either.

"The most absurd thing is that the current government is blaming us, the public, while Lapid and Lieberman didn't even bother showing up at the Coronavirus Cabinet meetings. They are running away from responsibility," Netanyahu said.

Many have criticized the foreign and finance ministers for not attending any of the ministerial committee's meetings on Israel's coronavirus response since the new government was formed in June.

Lapid claimed his position as foreign minister, as well as prime minister-designate, was not directly linked to coronavirus policy, and Lieberman said he needed to focus on passing a state budget and sent another minister in his place.

"In our government," Netanyahu said, "Finance Minister [Israel] Katz, Foreign Minister [Gabi] Ashkenazi, and I attended every coronavirus meeting, around the clock, into the night.

"We handed Bennett a country in the best condition in the world, in terms of the coronavirus, with almost zero new cases a day. Now, there are 3,000 new cases daily. Instead of arguing over government positions and raising unnecessary taxes on the public, maybe you should start fighting the coronavirus?" he concluded.

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Finance Minister Avigdor Lieberman has given preliminary approval for Israel to join the digital economy taxation plan initiated by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, Financial daily Globes reported last week. 

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Lieberman announced his decision at a meeting with senior Finance Ministry officials, ahead of the plan's approval by the OECD on June 30 by ministers of the 139 participating countries. 

The new plan calls for a change in the current global corporate tax system to deal with the phenomenon of companies that declare their profits in countries with low tax rates, irrespective of the countries in which they made their profits, and allow governments to collect more taxes from international companies that sell products and services to their citizens. 

According to Globes, the plan will affect technological giants like Facebook, Apple, Amazon and Google.

"The economy is becoming more and more global," Lieberman said, "and we need to introduce policy measures in cooperation with other countries. The Finance Ministry will act to ensure that the Israeli economy meets international standards in the various areas, including taxation and the environment, such as with a carbon tax. The new policy outlines will enable the State of Israel to obtain revenue from the giant companies on account of their activity in Israel."

According to the International Monetary Fund, a carbon tax is the most effective way to combat global warming and reduce air pollution. The idea to tax carbon emissions from the burning of fossil fuels has been discussed by the government for many years, but the issue died down due to fears of high electricity bills. Economists argue, however, that not only could tax revenues be returned to consumers via dividends, but a carbon tax would spike massive use of renewable energy.

In addition, Lieberman is considering canceling the exemption from value-added tax on purchases made by Israelis from abroad to a value of up to $75, as part of approving the yearly budget.

Proposals to cancel the VAT were submitted to the government on several occasions but were never implemented. Lieberman's predecessor, Israel Katz, opposed the cancellation of the exemption, but business organizations are persistent in their demands.

Israeli retailers complain that the exemption harms their ability co compete against online retailers abroad, whereas the consumer argument is that it enables people to avoid high prices in Israel. In 2018, the matter even reached the High Court of Justice, in a petition by importers and retailers. The court decided not to intervene.

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Netanyahu repeated the offer on Saturday and it will be very hard to turn down. The party, which has refused to sit in a Netanyahu-led government as a matter of principle, will soon face pressure to violate this promise and join him. It is a complicated dilemma.

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For a while now, Blue and White has been viewed as a campaign party. One that is led and managed by advisers and strategists, politicos who actually dictate the party line, its decisions, the speeches its leaders make and more. With the coronavirus crisis raging on, it appears these advisers are still setting the party's tone.

Aside from a campaign, petty political ploys and clumsy attempts at evasion, responsible leadership is still nowhere to be found. Even Avigdor Lieberman, hardly the paragon of stately behavior, realizes that this moment necessitates a functioning government. In contrast, what continues to interest Benny Gantz, Yair Lapid, and Moshe Ya'alon is replacing the Knesset Speaker on Monday, taking control of the Knesset's Arrangements Committee and House Committee, apparently passing a law to disqualify Netanyahu from presiding as prime minister – and likely a few more ridiculous and frivolous political tricks in which the public they are supposed to represent is completely disinterested.  

In the past, they would accuse prime ministers of going to war for political reasons. Today, they are accusing Netanyahu of putting an entire country into quarantine for similar reasons. This would be true if Israel was the only country on the planet enacting these measures and the medical experts were advising against them, but this isn't the case. The entire world is heading in Israel's direction and the medical professionals in the Health Ministry thoroughly support the drastic steps recently taken.

It's okay to ask questions, criticize, and it's even important for the legislative branch to have parliamentary oversight over the enforcement branch, but Blue and White's policy is putting all this on hold, not the other way around. If they continue to take their regular path of consulting with the president, stretching out the process for weeks and maybe even forcing another election – no measure will be relevant anymore for the millions of people placed on an emergency footing Sunday morning.  

Very rarely – if ever – in a party's lifetime do its chiefs have the opportunity to show true leadership, push the campaigns and image consultants to the side and do what is right. The big question is will they do it.

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During a tour of Herodium National Park outside Jerusalem, Lieberman said, "During Sukkot, it's hard to talk about disputes and arguments. The only conclusion is that we must gather together in a broad, liberation, national unity government. Under the framework I suggested, there is room for everyone."

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"As for all sorts of declarations I've heard recently in the media, we'd be very happy to hear from the prime minister that he is breaking up his bloc of haredim and messianics. If he does, we can talk. At any rate, we're still waiting for an answer from the Likud negotiating team about our request to start holding meetings and putting together guidelines acceptable to most of the people of Israel. Unfortunately, we still haven't gotten an answer. We have time and we have patience, [and] we'll wait."

Lieberman voiced criticism of the Likud after the party accused him of cooperation with the Arab parties.

"The only one who has cooperated with Arab MKs and Arab parties over the years, ever since the time of [Yasser] Arafat and the meetings at Wye River, is Netanyahu."

"We've heard [MK Abd Al Hakeem] Haj Yahya talk about how he enjoyed working with Miki Zohar and Natan Eshel; we've seen and read Eshel's articles. So right now the ones who are cooperating in the choice of a new [state] comptroller and with a law to dissolve the Knesset are the Likud and Netanyahu," Lieberman said.

When Yom Kippur ended, Lieberman announced a plan under which Yisrael Beytenu would join a unity government with Likud and Blue and White, with a rotation for prime minister based on President Reuven Rivlin's proposition.

Lieberman wrote: "The result of the Sept. 17 election speaks for itself and expresses more than anything the people's desire for a unity government. As I promised, I'm presenting a four-stage plan to establish a national unity government."

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After an inconclusive national election last week, Netanyahu has no obvious path to the 61-seat parliamentary majority required of a coalition government, enjoying the backing of just 55 of its 120 members. It doesn't look like his opponents are going to budge and next week Netanyahu has a pre-indictment hearing before he will likely be charged in a series of corruption scandals – something that would reshuffle the extremely complicated deck he already has.

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Officially, Netanyahu has up to four weeks to present a stable government. Rivlin, who is responsible for delegating a leader to form a government, gave Netanyahu the nod because he deemed him to have the best odds of success.

Rivlin can technically extend the window by two weeks, as he did after April's initial election, but given the current quagmire, Netanyahu is far more likely to return the "mandate" to the president well before then if no breakthrough emerges. Rivlin can then give challenger Benny Gantz a four-week window to try it himself. With only 54 members backing Gantz, he has an equally slim chance of success, which is why Rivlin has been urging the two men to reach some form of unity government to spare the country a dreaded third election in less than a year.

Here's a look at how it can play out:

Lieberman folds

The impetus for last week's unprecedented repeat election was maverick politician Avigdor Lieberman. A former aide and ally of Netanyahu's, he refused to join his government in April because of what he considered to be the excessive influence of its ultra-Orthodox Jewish parties. Lieberman emerged even stronger in last week's vote with eight seats. Refusing to endorse either candidate, he has stood firm on his demand for a secular unity government between the two major parties, Likud and Gantz's Blue and White. The simplest way out of the impasse would be a Lieberman flip-flop that would save Netanyahu and give him a solid majority. But the one-time protégé appears bent on taking down his former mentor. The battered Labor party and its six seats could also potentially offer Netanyahu a lifeline, but that seems like even more of a long shot.

Likud ousts Netanyahu

The main sticking point for Gantz and his centrist Blue and White party is Netanyahu himself. Gantz, a former military chief, has repeatedly vowed he would not ally with a prime minister facing such serious criminal charges. But he's openly called for a unity government with a Likud party headed by someone else, which would offer the prospect of a broad, stable coalition. An open rebellion is unlikely in a party that values loyalty and has only had four leaders in its 70-plus years of existence. Netanyahu is not only clinging to office for his political survival but also to protect himself as much as he can from prosecution, so he won't go down without a fight. Unlike a regular cabinet minister, Netanyahu as prime minister would not be required by Israeli law to step down if he was charged. Still, he will likely face heavy pressure to do so. He still enjoys wide backing in Likud, where he is revered, but if the party sees polls predicting a dramatic downfall in a third round of voting, the long-anticipated uprising could finally start to materialize.

Netanyahu and Gantz compromise

During the ugly campaign, Gantz questioned Netanyahu's patriotism and Netanyahu questioned his sanity. But in the blood sport that is Israeli politics, such insults are nothing that can't be overcome. A unity government, with a rotating leadership, still appears to be the most plausible way out of the gridlock. Upon appointing Netanyahu prime minister-designate, Rivlin proposed a plan in which both parties would have equal power and Gantz would become prime minister if Netanyahu became legally "incapacitated" within the next year. Likud indicated it was open to the proposal, but Gantz has recanted for now – apparently under pressure from the more anti-Netanyahu forces in his faction. With the clock ticking, he may reconsider.

A wild card emerges

If neither Netanyahu nor Gantz can muster a majority coalition, there is a never-before-used loophole in Israeli law that would allow any lawmaker a three-week period to recruit a 61-seat majority around them. That hypothetical candidate would likely have to come from the right, with the hottest name being former Education Minister Gideon Sa'ar of the Likud. He's long been considered a potential successor to Netanyahu, despite their rocky relationship. Though a hard-liner, he enjoys a good reputation across the political spectrum, and he seems more of a unifier than Netanyahu. Knesset Speaker Yuli Edelstein and cabinet minister Gilad Erdan have also been floated as potential heirs. But that would require bypassing Netanyahu and figuring out how to get the rest of Likud's would-be claimers to the throne to rally around a single candidate.

Elections, take three

Each passing day makes the most undesirable outcome appear more likely. No one in the political system favors a third election and the public will certainly be disgusted by another costly, divisive campaign that will just further extend over nine months of government paralysis. Another vote is unlikely to produce a more decisive result, and both sides are already preparing to blame the other for dragging the country through the mud once again. As Rivlin warned, it will be the public who pays the price for it.

"This is a bad situation in a sense that the country must be run by an effective government," said Gideon Rahat, a Hebrew University professor and senior fellow at the nonpartisan Israel Democracy Institute. "On the other hand, if we do cope with these problems, if we continue to fulfill the rules of the game … this at least will tell you that Israeli democracy still operates, more or less, even though there is kind of a crisis."

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Near-final results show Blue and White will be the largest single party in the new Knesset with 33 of the 120 seats, with Likud at 31 seats, three less than it had before.

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In a meeting with Likud leaders, Rivlin said it was up to the "two biggest parties, the first and second that are almost equal in size, to join forces ... so that you together manage and establish a system that brings a stable government."

"This is what the people want. None of us can ignore that," he said.

Under Israeli law, following an election, the Israeli president must give the MK with the most support in parliament a chance to form a government.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Blue and White leader Benny Gantz are now seeking potential coalition allies – Yisrael Beytenu Chairman Avigdor Lieberman, with eight seats, perhaps being the most important.

Lieberman on Sunday reiterated his call for a unity government and said he would not recommend either candidate in his meeting with Rivlin.

"We will not budge in any direction," Lieberman told reporters during a press conference. "Since Netanyahu and the Likud decided to form the bloc with ultra-Orthodox parties and with this messianic party [referring to the Yamina party], we cannot recommend Benjamin Netanyahu."

"As for Blue and White Chairman Benny Gantz," Lieberman continued, "from what we can see he's preserving the option to form a government with the ultra-Orthodox and the Joint Arab List."

"I would like to stress that the ultra-Orthodox are a political opponent, not an enemy. As for the Joint List – they are definitely our enemy," he said.

Lieberman singled out the leader of the Arab faction, Ayman Odeh, who "boycotted Shimon Peres' funeral and in the same week he visited [Yasser] Arafat's grave in Ramallah. The same Odeh who would not sign an agreement with Meretz because they are a Zionist party."

On Sunday, in what has been called a "historic" decision by some on the Left, the Joint Arab List announced it was officially endorsing Gantz as the next prime minister.

MK Ahmad Tibi, who is also in the Joint Arab List, further tweeted: "Today we are making history; we are going to do everything it takes to bring down Netanyahu."

Lieberman, for his part, reiterated his desire to form a "national unity government" comprising the two biggest parties, Blue and White and Likud, adding that going to a third election over the argument of who is tasked by the president first or second would be "childish."

The current kingmaker wrote in a Facebook post Sunday night: "For all I care, they could flip a coin" to determine who serves first as prime minister under a rotation deal in a broad unity government.

"As we promised the public, Yisrael Beytenu will do everything to force the two largest parties to form a broad liberal government," he wrote.

An increased turnout by Israel's 21% Arab minority saw the Joint Arab List faction win 13 seats, making it the third-largest party.

Religious parties representing the ultra-Orthodox communities remain a significant force, with Shas winning nine seats and United Torah Judaism eight seats.

The right-wing Yamina party won seven seats; the left-wing Labor-Gesher won six; the Democratic Union won five. Full official results are due to be published next Wednesday.

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Less than 1% of the more than 4.4 million votes remain uncounted, the committee said, and the results will be certified on Tuesday.

Barring some major discovery of voter fraud, this means that Blue and White and its allies on the Left (including the Joint Arab List) are expected to get 57 seats, whereas Likud and its right-wing partners (including the ultra-Orthodox) will get 55 seats.

Yisrael Beytenu, which has refused to support either ideological bloc and insists on a unity government, will get 8 seats.

The 22nd Knesset will be inaugurated in early October, after which President Reuven Rivlin will ask an MK to form a government based on his assessment on the support that legislator enjoys in the Knesset.

Currently, because no bloc has an overall majority of the Knesset, both Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Blue and White Chairman Benny Gantz could get tapped, although it is far from clear whether they will be able to assemble a governing coalition and win the confidence of the Knesset.

The process could drag on for months, especially if Rivlin's designated prime minister fails to form a government and a new MK gets the green light. However, Rivlin is most likely to pressure both sides to find a way to avert that scenario and work toward a unity government.

Yisrael Beytenu Chairman Avigdor Lieberman vowed on Thursday that he would not support Netanyahu. This means that Gantz could get the first shot at forming a government.

Lieberman said he would decide on Sunday on his preferred choice of prime minister.

Lieberman said that Netanyahu is no longer part of the Right because he has allied himself with "messianic" and ultra-Orthodox factions.

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Here are the results as of 10:30 a.m. Wednesday morning:

Likud: 32

Blue and White: 32

Joint Arab List: 12

Yisrael Beytenu: 9

Shas: 9

United Torah Judaism: 8

Yamina: 7

Labor-Gesher: 6

Democratic Union: 5

The far-right Otzma Yehudit party failed to pass the minimum electoral threshold.

Seeming kingmaker Avigdor Lieberman said Wednesday that he'll insist on a secular unity government between Netanyahu's Likud and Benny Gantz's Blue and White parties, which are currently tied.

Lieberman said that is the "one and only option" on the table.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he will seek the formation of a new Zionist government that excludes Arab parties.

"There will not be and there cannot be a government that leans on Arab, anti-Zionist parties," Netanyahu said.

Gantz echoed sentiments for a unity government in a post-election speech in Tel Aviv early Wednesday, saying that political contacts with other parties are already underway.

"I mean to talk to everyone. We will work to set up a broad national government that will express the will of the people," he said.

Without Lieberman's endorsement, both parties appear to have fallen well short of securing a parliamentary majority with ideological allies.

However, final results could still swing toward Netanyahu.

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According to the revised data, the Joint Arab List is expected to get 15 seats, giving the overall center-left bloc 59 seats, compared to the Right's 53. While this still means neither bloc has a majority, it makes it much harder for Likud to claim victory and for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to secure a fifth term.

The data was revised after it became apparent that some participants interviewed for the exit poll had lied. This was verified in part by the real vote count from certain ballots, Channel 13 News said.

Despite the overall advantage, the Center-Left is unlikely to get a majority of the Knesset to support it without Avigdor Lieberman's party, Yisrael Beytenu, which has vowed it would only sit in a unity government comprising Likud and Blue and White.

Analysts expect the deadlock to remain for at least several weeks until one of the major parties agrees to modify its terms.

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Likud and Blue and White both got roughly the same amount of seats, 34, and neither has an easy task of forming a governing coalition and winning the confidence of the Knesset. President Reuven Rivlin will soon consult with newly elected MKs and then decide whom to task with forming a government, with both Likud Chairman Netanyahu and Blue and White leader Benny Gantz vying for the job.

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With the right getting 57 seats and the Left 55, neither has a majority of the Knesset's 120 seats.

Yisrael Beytenu leader Avigdor Lieberman vowed that he would stick to his guns and only join a Likud-Blue and White unity government and asked President Reuven Rivlin to "summon both Gantz and Netanyahu for unofficial talks on Tuesday" so that he can convince them to sit together. However, it appears that Gantz would not sit with Likud unless Netanyahu is replaced as party leader because of a campaign pledge not to sit with the prime minister because of a possible indictment for corruption.

One Yisrael Beytenu MK has already said that Lieberman would abide by his pledge to sit only in a Likud-Blue and White unity government, although Blue and White has already ruled out sitting with Netanyahu because of his pending indictments.

This could put pressure on Netanyahu from within the Likud to step down, but so far there are no indications of that happening.

Netanyahu reportedly already talked with Yamina, a right-wing ally that got eight seats according to the exit polls and apparently has the support of the remaining right-wing allies.

Foreign Minister Yisrael Katz, a Likud senior minister, said that "Likud will wait until the final results are announced but I would like to already declare at this stage that Netanyahu is the Likud's only nominee for prime minister. We will work together with our natural allies to form a stable government to lead Israel through the various challenges."

Over at the Left, the Democratic Union's Ehud Barak, a former prime minister, said that in the wake of the apparent election results "there are conditions to end Netanyahu's premiership."

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