Gantz's B&W To Vote To Dissolve Israeli Knesset, Elections Move Closer

Israel moved closer towards its fourth general election in two years after Defence Minister and alternate PM Benny Gantz said that he would instruct his Blue and White alliance to vote in favour of an opposition motion dissolving the Knesset and moving Israel towards its fourth general election in two years.

• The motion is a preliminary one, meaning that if it passes it will require two more readings and successful votes in parliament for the body to be dissolved and elections called.
• PM Benjamin Netanyahu released a video attempting to dissuade Gantz from backing the motion, saying "Now is not the time for elections, now is the time for unity."
• The Netanyahu-Gantz administration has never been a smooth partnership, with Gantz running in previous elections with the explicit aim of ousting Netanyahu from power. The gov't formed in the wake of several hung parliaments where forming a majority gov't proved impossible and as the COVID-19 pandemic came into full swing was never likely to be a long-lasting affair.
• The deal between Gantz's B&W and Netanyahu's Likud Party included clauses that would dissolve the gov't if a budget was not passed. The PM's critics have said he has failed to pass a two-year budget to avoid having to hand over the reins of power to Gantz in Nov 2021 as the agreement stipulates.
• Based on current polls the formation of a majority gov't is likely to prove difficult again. There is no clear governing coalition to be formed, with all of the major parties and electoral alliances holding various personal grudges or ideological differences with other parties or their leaders.