Netanyahu and Gantz
Netanyahu and GantzReuters

Kan News reported this morning, Thursday, that the Likud party has issued a proposal to coalition partners Blue & White, suggesting that they skip authorizing a budget for 2020 and move forward right away to working on 2021's budget.

According to the report, one of the aims of the proposal is to leave open a "window of opportunity" for PM Netanyahu to call elections in March of 2021 - and this in itself is likely to prompt Blue & White to turn down the proposal, preferring to focus on legislation for postponing the final date by which the 2020 budget must be passed by 100 days.

The legislation has already been drawn up but has stalled at committee stage with yet another impasse between the parties on how to implement it.

The Finance Committee on Wednesday canceled the planned vote on the bill to delay the budget after the Likud and Blue and White factions failed to reach an agreement, with the Likud calling for emergency spending to prevent a financial collapse in the National Religious school system, along with greater flexibility in the budget.

Blue and White rejected the demands, calling for the bill pushing off the budget deadline to be passed immediately, without modification.

If no budget is passed and the budget deadline not extend by next Monday night, the Knesset will be automatically dissolved and snap elections called. It will be the fourth time in less than two years that Israelis have gone to the polls.