Defense Minister and Alternate Prime Minister Benny Gantz (Blue and White) launched into a tirade against Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu during a meeting of the government’s Coronavirus Cabinet Sunday evening, accusing Netanyahu of taking credit for Gantz’s work on behalf of the public.
“The TV segments about the stimulus grant program only talk about the Finance Ministry and the Prime Minister. That is extraordinary gall, that’s not how you work together,” Gantz said, according to a report by Kan.
Another Blue and White lawmaker, Justice Minister Avi Nissenkorn, also took aim at Netanyahu Sunday evening, excoriating the Prime Minister during an interview with Channel 12.
Nissenkorn accused Netanyahu of trying to lead Israel into another election, suggesting that the current budget battle between the Likud and Blue and White was staged by the Prime Minister to lead to the dissolution of the government.
“If he wants for personal reasons, which aren’t at all connected to the country or its citizens, to lead the country to new elections, that’s what is going to happen.”
Transportation Minister Miri Regev (Likud) pushed back on Nissenkorn’s comments and said Blue and White party chief Benny Gantz “needs to come to his senses”.
Regev defended the Likud’s demand to pass a limited, one-year spending plan, citing the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
“The one playing politics here is not us, but Benny Gantz. We’re dealing with economics and the budget.”
“We’d have to impose very harsh limits on the public if we’d back a two-year spending plan. What responsible leader would say now that he is making a decision now for what will happen in a year and a half? It’s not right, and you wouldn’t do that with your personal finances. We don’t want new elections, elections would be bad for Israel. We are trying to explain this to Gantz, who is having trouble getting up in the morning and going to school.”
Earlier on Sunday, it was reported that Gantz and Netanyahu traded insults during the Coronavirus Cabinet meeting, with Gantz accusing Netanyahu of signing the coalition agreement for a two-year budget in bad faith.
“From day one you didn’t intend to honor the agreement on the biannual budget,” Gantz shouted.
Netanyahu responded sarcastically to Gantz’s shouting, saying, “Can someone turn up the volume, we can’t hear you.”
The current deadline for passing a state budget is August 15th. Blue and White has demanded the Likud adhere to the coalition agreement calling for a two-year budget, while the Likud has argued that given the resurgence of the coronavirus pandemic, no long-term budget can be passed at this time.