JERUSALEM: The fate of Israels fractious coalition government was up in the air on Monday, hours before a critical vote on whether to dissolve the alliance and force new elections.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu appeared to defuse the crisis late Sunday when he announced on national TV that he had accepted a compromise proposal to extend budget talks and avoid new elections.
But throughout the day Monday, Netanyahus Likud and its rival and governing partner, Blue and White, continued to accuse each other of undermining the deal. Blue and Whites leader, Defense Minister Benny Gantz, scheduled a special announcement late Monday ahead of the parliamentary vote.
After battling to stalemates in three inconclusive elections in under a year, Netanyahu and Gantz agreed to form a coalition government in May in order to spare the country another vote during the coronavirus crisis. Their coalition deal required them to approve a budget by midnight Monday or cause the government to dissolve, triggering a new election.
Under the compromise plan accepted by Netanyahu, budget talks would be allowed to continue until December, giving them more time to sort out their differences.
Netanyahu has called for a one-year budget, citing the challenges and economic damage caused by the coronavirus crisis. Gantz insists that they approve a two-year budget, as agreed upon in their original power-sharing deal.
But the crisis has deeper roots in the troubled partnership between Netanyahu and Gantz, the economic fallout from the coronavirus outbreak and the prime ministers ongoing corruption trial.
Critics accuse Netanyahu of trying to force a new election in hopes of securing a friendlier parliament that could help solve his legal troubles.
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