Netanyahu wants third elections, not unity government

Israeli prime minister and head of the Likud Party, Benjamin Netanyahu, is saving no effort to reach third elections, not a unity government, Israeli analysts announced on Friday.

After the head of the Blue and White party, Benny Gantz, had turned to the right-wing parties, Netanyahu announced that he would hold a meeting for the right-wing blocs on Sunday, in order to ensure that they would accept a new government, without him as prime minister.

Several Israeli analysts expected that by doing so, Netanyahu is pushing for third elections, not a unity government.

Sima Kadmon, Yedioth Ahronoth’s analyst on partisan issues, stated that Netanyahu is a “frightened and weak man, who’s willing to do anything – including going to war against the advice of the entire Israeli security forces – to keep his seat and not face the wrath of the justice system,” therefore, Blue and White believes that he is pushing for third elections.

Read: Israel’s Netanyahu gives up effort to form new government 

“He wants to reach the court as a prime minister,” Kadmon explained. “This way, his trial would be taken by three jurors at Jerusalem District Court,” Kadmon added, noting that if he reached the trial as an ordinary citizen, he would be sent to a court with a single juror in Tel Aviv, as was the case with the former prime minister, Ehud Olmert.

Meanwhile, Haaretz analyst, Yossi Verter, announced that Israeli is heading towards third elections, stressing that if Netanyahu would accept a unity government, he would not attack the judiciary, especially the Public Prosecution, as in recent events.

Verter also stated that when Netanyahu continues to launch accusations against Blue and White senior leader, Yair Lapid, he is “deliberately and consciously torpedoing the coalition talks and hastening the coming of an election in 2020.”