Analysis as Netanyahu avoids early elections
173 views · Published 25 November 2018 · 3:35 · Indexed 3 October 2026
Channel: AP Archive · 2018 · News & Politics
(20 Nov 2018) LEADIN: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has survived a political showdown that threatened to trigger early elections. Analysts had predicted elections in early March. STORYLINE: A senior coalition partner in Israel's government announced he would not resign on Monday, averting early elections for now. Education Minister Naftali Bennett said his Jewish Home party was giving Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu another chance - despite a crisis over the handling of a recent ceasefire with Gaza militants. Bennett was widely expected to announce his party's withdrawal from the coalition, which would have stripped Netanyahu of his parliamentary majority and triggered early polls. Analysts had expected elections to be held in March. Bennett had threatened to bring down the government if he wasn't appointed Defence Minister, a portfolio taken by Netanyahu on Sunday. Political analyst Avraham Diskin notes that small coalitions - like the current Israeli administration - tend to last longer that bigger ones. But he adds that they are likely to have problems when it comes to the "day to day decisions" in the Knesset. "You really must have total discipline of all the members in the coalition, and that is violated from time to time." Netanyahu managed to persuade Bennett to drop a threat to bolt the coalition. With Netanyahu in charge of the defence portfolio, his government is left with a thin parliamentary majority. "It was a kind of power game between him and Bennett (Education Minister Naftali Bennett), I believe that Netanyahu felt he is more qualified, he was ready to go a way towards Bennett, but not to give up his control," adds Diskin. On the streets of Jerusalem some Israelis voice support for Netanyahu: "Netanyahu is the only real leader on the national scale as of now, but it's a democracy and there will be elections. In the meantime, I wish him well," says local resident Michael Levinstein. Others, such as Yaakov Milamed, say they feel that his time has come to move on: "He has done his part, he keeps to his chair, and it's about time he moves to something else." The coalition crisis was originally triggered by a botched Israeli raid in Gaza last week that led to intense fighting between Israel and Hamas. Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter: https://twitter.com/AP_Archive Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/APArchives Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/APNews/ You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/youtube/c16934a1c957e6aa7e7a6fbbf01fe544
