As is his custom, Yisrael Beytenu party chief Avigdor Lieberman is not making things easy for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. He is in no rush to deny he plans to aid in the establishment of a minority government led by Blue and White's Benny Gantz and supported by the Arab parties. Nor have other members of Blue and White ruled out this option, something that has increased fears among Netanyahu's inner circle that his rivals to both the Right and the Left have forged a secret pact aimed at bringing about his removal from office at any price.
Yet although many stand to benefit from such a move, the chances of it proving a success, at least as things currently stand, are slim to none. While Lieberman may not have denied he would support such a move, when push comes to shove, the chances of him being part of a plan that involves members of the Arab factions are highly unlikely. Lieberman wants Netanyahu deposed, but not so much that is willing to sacrifice his political fate to that end. His supporters may stick by him when he talks about a unity government, even if such a government would deliver a blow to the Right, but should he decide to join a narrow government, and prefer one comprised of Blue and White and the Arab parties to one with the Likud and the haredim, well, that is something they probably won't be able to forgive him for.
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Having taking plans for a minority government off the table, it seems we are back to where we started: the political deadlock we first encountered following the election. This impasse, then, is one that will not be overcome once Gantz is given the mandate to form a government.
Politicians from both the Likud and other parties are beginning to look for alternatives. While this is not the disintegration of the bloc – far from it – it is the controlled release from the bear hug its members forced on one other thus far.
Following Likud MK Gideon Sa'ar's announcement he planned to run against Netanyahu in party primaries that were not ultimately held, and Likud lawmaker and former Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat's declaration he would be a candidate for the Likud leadership after Netanyahu, this week was Foreign Minister Israel Katz's turn to make an announcement on the matter.
In a show of force before thousands of activists at his sukkah in Moshav Kfar Ahim, Katz delivered what was no less than a constitutive speech announcing he, too, planned to run for the premiership after Netanyahu. This was not the first time Katz declared this to be his intention. Nor was it the second. And while Katz has always emphasized he would not challenge Netanyahu and would wait for the day after, the timing of these most recent remarks, and the setting – on a stage in front of two teleprompters befitting the next generation of leaders – leave no room for interpretation.
