Israeli General Election (2nd of March, 2020): Madness

[Continential]

Negotiations now appear to be dead and Gantz is speaking to the country in a few minutes as his mandate expires. Elections are likely in late July.

What if Coronavirus is still in effect for the election?

[Estrella]

Negotiations now appear to be dead and Gantz is speaking to the country in a few minutes as his mandate expires. Elections are likely in late July.

!אאאאאאאאאאאאאא

This is unbelievable. It's peak entitlement from politicians to treat the whole country like a huge kindergarten playground. The worst thing is that at this point I'm not even sure they're doing this because of principles and ideological red lines they're unwilling to cross - they're just settling scores. I'm betting that not just Ben Gurion, but also Begin and Jabotinsky have begun turning in their graves.

[Antonio the Sixth]

I hope Gantz has the decency to retire and let Lapid lead the center-left in rhe next election. He has forfeited any credibility he had.

[Hnv1]

Gantz and Bibi meeting right now. Likely we’ll wake up to an announcement of government, or a joint request to extend the mandate. Neither wants the mandate back to the Knesset

[Hnv1]

Joint request to extend the mandate. Yamina said they are out of the right wing bloc

Edit: mandate extended by 2 days. I think we might wake up to a government now that the bloc is dead

[America Needs R'hllor]

Joint request to extend the mandate. Yamina said they are out of the right wing bloc

Edit: mandate extended by 2 days. I think we might wake up to a government now that the bloc is dead

If we do, it seems to me like Netanyahu tried to play chicken with Gantz and... Gantz won?

[The Mikado]

Yamina dropping out only increases the importance of Labor/Gantz in the new government. This is really remarkable.

OTOH, if Netanyahu is holding true to the 50/50 Cabinet position split between the left and right in the new government, Yamina being on the outs just increases the share of posts for Likud (and the Haredim, I guess)

[jaymichaud]

Yamina are out? Messy!

[Hnv1]

Joint request to extend the mandate. Yamina said they are out of the right wing bloc

Edit: mandate extended by 2 days. I think we might wake up to a government now that the bloc is dead

If we do, it seems to me like Netanyahu tried to play chicken with Gantz and... Gantz won?

No. Bennet understood he was screwed over, released the message while they were in the meeting and Bibi realized his bloc strategy is dead so he can’t go to a fourth election and conceded.
Gantz can’t tell the difference between a chicken and a lamb.

[America Needs R'hllor]

Joint request to extend the mandate. Yamina said they are out of the right wing bloc

Edit: mandate extended by 2 days. I think we might wake up to a government now that the bloc is dead

If we do, it seems to me like Netanyahu tried to play chicken with Gantz and... Gantz won?

No. Bennet understood he was screwed over, released the message while they were in the meeting and Bibi realized his bloc strategy is dead so he can’t go to a fourth election and conceded.
Gantz can’t tell the difference between a chicken and a lamb.

Why would Bennet do this if we were going to an election though?

[Estrella]

A poll for Channel 12, from Haaretz. Compared to the election results.

Likud 40 (+4)
Kahol Lavan* 19  (+4**)
Joint List 15 (±0)
Yesh Atid+Telem 10 (-8**)
Shas 9 (±0)
Yamina 8 (+2)
United Torah Judaism 7 (±0)
Yisrael Beiteinu 7 (±0)
Meretz 5 (+2)***
Labor, Gesher, Otzma not getting in.

Honest Right 64
Dishonest Right (YB, KL) 26
Centre, Left and Arabs 30

* This is just Gantz now, so does the KL brand technically still exist? I imagine Gantz wouldn't want to associate himself with the name, so he might contest the next election under the banner of his old party, Hosen L'Yisrael.

** In the election, KL won 33 seats - 15 for Gantz, 13 for Lapid and 5 for Ya'alon

*** The L-G-M alliance won 7 seats, 3 of which went to Meretz

[Hnv1]

Joint request to extend the mandate. Yamina said they are out of the right wing bloc

Edit: mandate extended by 2 days. I think we might wake up to a government now that the bloc is dead

If we do, it seems to me like Netanyahu tried to play chicken with Gantz and... Gantz won?

No. Bennet understood he was screwed over, released the message while they were in the meeting and Bibi realized his bloc strategy is dead so he can’t go to a fourth election and conceded.
Gantz can’t tell the difference between a chicken and a lamb.

Why would Bennet do this if we were going to an election though?

Because we’re not going to a fourth round. Once he realized Bibi was serious he left the bloc

[jaymichaud]

Lol are Yamina now gonna wage a “War on corruption” like they said? Meme party if so

[Walmart_shopper]

I still expect the Supreme Court to disqualify Netanyahu as PM, and the main parties seem to tqke that very seriously as well, so we may be going to a fourth election no matter what happens with the blocs.

[jaymichaud]

I still expect the Supreme Court to disqualify Netanyahu as PM, and the main parties seem to tqke that very seriously as well, so we may be going to a fourth election no matter what happens with the blocs.

I don’t see a reason for any party that’s not Likud, Shas and UTJ to be against this. If any politician isn’t then they deserve to go too tbh.

[Walmart_shopper]

I still expect the Supreme Court to disqualify Netanyahu as PM, and the main parties seem to tqke that very seriously as well, so we may be going to a fourth election no matter what happens with the blocs.

I don’t see a reason for any party that’s not Likud, Shas and UTJ to be against this. If any politician isn’t then they deserve to go too tbh.

Apparently the whole unity bid has been on ice over Netanyahu's concern that the Court will indeed disqualify him. They wanted Gantz to change the basic law to prevent that, Gantz said no, but they did get him to promise an automatic new election if Bagatz does go the way I think they will.

I am not actually entirely opposed to a unity deal if KL can squeeze Likud for key ministries (like Education) and especially if Yamina is kept out of the government. I suppose it comes down to whether you beleve that Netanyahu or the Israeli right is a graver threat to our political future. Bibi is bad, but the apocalyptic ideology of the religious right, driven by an insane ethno-supremacist religious movement, has always made my skin crawl more than anything. Bennet and Shaked are just upper class Ashkenazi Likudniks, so they aren't really all that bad. Like the Rubios of the American right. But the Smotrichs and religious settler leaders are absolutely terrifying. So stealing the government out of their hands and jolting it back to the left is really tempting, especially if Netanyahu will be ensured to face a judge for his alleged crimes.

[Hnv1]

No agreement reached. They have 5 hours tomorrow evening to close it

[jaymichaud]

I still expect the Supreme Court to disqualify Netanyahu as PM, and the main parties seem to tqke that very seriously as well, so we may be going to a fourth election no matter what happens with the blocs.

I don’t see a reason for any party that’s not Likud, Shas and UTJ to be against this. If any politician isn’t then they deserve to go too tbh.

Apparently the whole unity bid has been on ice over Netanyahu's concern that the Court will indeed disqualify him. They wanted Gantz to change the basic law to prevent that, Gantz said no, but they did get him to promise an automatic new election if Bagatz does go the way I think they will.

I am not actually entirely opposed to a unity deal if KL can squeeze Likud for key ministries (like Education) and especially if Yamina is kept out of the government. I suppose it comes down to whether you beleve that Netanyahu or the Israeli right is a graver threat to our political future. Bibi is bad, but the apocalyptic ideology of the religious right, driven by an insane ethno-supremacist religious movement, has always made my skin crawl more than anything. Bennet and Shaked are just upper class Ashkenazi Likudniks, so they aren't really all that bad. Like the Rubios of the American right. But the Smotrichs and religious settler leaders are absolutely terrifying. So stealing the government out of their hands and jolting it back to the left is really tempting, especially if Netanyahu will be ensured to face a judge for his alleged crimes.

Likud as a center-right/right wing conservative party? No. Likud as a corrupt, divisive, mafia-esque Fidesz lite? 100%.

[Walmart_shopper]

I still expect the Supreme Court to disqualify Netanyahu as PM, and the main parties seem to tqke that very seriously as well, so we may be going to a fourth election no matter what happens with the blocs.

I don’t see a reason for any party that’s not Likud, Shas and UTJ to be against this. If any politician isn’t then they deserve to go too tbh.

Apparently the whole unity bid has been on ice over Netanyahu's concern that the Court will indeed disqualify him. They wanted Gantz to change the basic law to prevent that, Gantz said no, but they did get him to promise an automatic new election if Bagatz does go the way I think they will.

I am not actually entirely opposed to a unity deal if KL can squeeze Likud for key ministries (like Education) and especially if Yamina is kept out of the government. I suppose it comes down to whether you beleve that Netanyahu or the Israeli right is a graver threat to our political future. Bibi is bad, but the apocalyptic ideology of the religious right, driven by an insane ethno-supremacist religious movement, has always made my skin crawl more than anything. Bennet and Shaked are just upper class Ashkenazi Likudniks, so they aren't really all that bad. Like the Rubios of the American right. But the Smotrichs and religious settler leaders are absolutely terrifying. So stealing the government out of their hands and jolting it back to the left is really tempting, especially if Netanyahu will be ensured to face a judge for his alleged crimes.

Likud as a center-right/right wing conservative party? No. Likud as a corrupt, divisive, mafia-esque Fidesz lite? 100%.

Fair point.

[President Punxsutawney Phil]

I still expect the Supreme Court to disqualify Netanyahu as PM, and the main parties seem to tqke that very seriously as well, so we may be going to a fourth election no matter what happens with the blocs.

I don’t see a reason for any party that’s not Likud, Shas and UTJ to be against this. If any politician isn’t then they deserve to go too tbh.

Apparently the whole unity bid has been on ice over Netanyahu's concern that the Court will indeed disqualify him. They wanted Gantz to change the basic law to prevent that, Gantz said no, but they did get him to promise an automatic new election if Bagatz does go the way I think they will.

I am not actually entirely opposed to a unity deal if KL can squeeze Likud for key ministries (like Education) and especially if Yamina is kept out of the government. I suppose it comes down to whether you beleve that Netanyahu or the Israeli right is a graver threat to our political future. Bibi is bad, but the apocalyptic ideology of the religious right, driven by an insane ethno-supremacist religious movement, has always made my skin crawl more than anything. Bennet and Shaked are just upper class Ashkenazi Likudniks, so they aren't really all that bad. Like the Rubios of the American right. But the Smotrichs and religious settler leaders are absolutely terrifying. So stealing the government out of their hands and jolting it back to the left is really tempting, especially if Netanyahu will be ensured to face a judge for his alleged crimes.

Likud as a center-right/right wing conservative party? No. Likud as a corrupt, divisive, mafia-esque Fidesz lite? 100%.

Fair point.

And it's not as though Isreali politics in general is that dissimilar from Eastern Europe's either.

[jaymichaud]

I still expect the Supreme Court to disqualify Netanyahu as PM, and the main parties seem to tqke that very seriously as well, so we may be going to a fourth election no matter what happens with the blocs.

I don’t see a reason for any party that’s not Likud, Shas and UTJ to be against this. If any politician isn’t then they deserve to go too tbh.

Apparently the whole unity bid has been on ice over Netanyahu's concern that the Court will indeed disqualify him. They wanted Gantz to change the basic law to prevent that, Gantz said no, but they did get him to promise an automatic new election if Bagatz does go the way I think they will.

I am not actually entirely opposed to a unity deal if KL can squeeze Likud for key ministries (like Education) and especially if Yamina is kept out of the government. I suppose it comes down to whether you beleve that Netanyahu or the Israeli right is a graver threat to our political future. Bibi is bad, but the apocalyptic ideology of the religious right, driven by an insane ethno-supremacist religious movement, has always made my skin crawl more than anything. Bennet and Shaked are just upper class Ashkenazi Likudniks, so they aren't really all that bad. Like the Rubios of the American right. But the Smotrichs and religious settler leaders are absolutely terrifying. So stealing the government out of their hands and jolting it back to the left is really tempting, especially if Netanyahu will be ensured to face a judge for his alleged crimes.

Likud as a center-right/right wing conservative party? No. Likud as a corrupt, divisive, mafia-esque Fidesz lite? 100%.

Fair point.

And it's not as though Isreali politics in general is that dissimilar from Eastern Europe's either.

I wouldn’t say that. Fidesz is pretty much a lost cause whereas Likud CAN be saved, I think. There’d just need to be a lot of purging and bit of punishment for their abuse of power 🤷🏽‍♂️

[Continential]

Is Shas running, hopefully they will return to their leftist roots but that's a pipedream.

[jaymichaud]

Is Shas running, hopefully they will return to their leftist roots but that's a pipedream.

They’re still pretty populist on economics, it’s just that it’s only the right that’s selling anything they want to buy and on the other hand the left bloc are actively trying to scale back influence of the community they represent

[Hnv1]

Is Shas running, hopefully they will return to their leftist roots but that's a pipedream.

Shas has no leftist roots. Deri’i being moderate and then sitting with Labour to jog on government cash doesn’t put them to the left. Their voters are actually very to the right and wouldn’t take aligning with the left well.

[PSOL]

This is a circus of cataclysmic proportions. It be more funny if the country involved did not have nuclear weapons.