Israel is set to continue without a government and may be heading to new elections after Benny Gantz, rival of longtime Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, said Wednesday that he missed a deadline to form a government.

Netanyahu, who is facing the possibility of imminent indictment on corruption charges, also failed to form a coalition following the hotly contested election in September.

Gantz’s announcement that he could not meet the deadline set by President Reuven Rivlin doesn’t automatically trigger new elections. Rather, it kicks off another wave of political haggling — Israel’s parliament has 21 days to nominate another lawmaker to try to form a majority government. If no other lawmakers are successful, it could usher in a third and unprecedented election this year, which Netanyahu has described as “institutional insanity.”

Gantz, a longtime military leader, and relative political newcomer said his Blue and White party did everything it could.

“In the past 28 days, no stone was left unturned while we tried to form a government that would bring Israel a leadership of dignity, morals, and values, a leadership that has been forgotten,” Gantz said, according to Haaretz.

“Most of the people chose a liberal unity government headed by Blue and White,” he added, according to The Associated Press. “Most of the people voted to weaken the power of extremists, and most of the people voted to go on a different path from that of Netanyahu in recent years.”

Gantz and Netanyahu were apparently unable to broker a power-sharing agreement, which could have resulted in switching off as prime minister. Their parties — Gantz’s centrist Blue and White Alliance and Netanyahu’s conservative Likud party — hold 33 and 32 seats, respectively, in the Knesset.

One group that wielded considerable power in the negotiations was Avigdor Lieberman’s secular nationalist Yisrael Beitenu party. He has said he favors a unity government with the two largest parties, and wouldn’t throw his group’s weight behind a more narrow coalition.

Lieberman was quoted by the BBC as saying the problem with Gantz’s attempt to form a coalition was that he ” ‘was not prepared to accept the president’s plan’ for a national unity government, while Mr. Netanyahu ‘was not prepared to separate from his ultra-Orthodox messianic bloc.’ ” It’s worth noting that Lieberman has also signaled that he was not willing to join a government with Arab parties, who are plausible allies for Gantz.

Overshadowing all the political jockeying, Netanyahu is being investigated and could face indictment for bribery and other charges. He’s accused of accepting gifts from wealthy businessmen and allegedly conspiring with media moguls to trade favors in exchange for positive coverage. He has denied wrongdoing.

Gantz had refused to form a unity government with the threat of indictment looming over Netanyahu, the AP reported but had expressed a willingness to work with Likud if someone else took over.

Source: https://www.npr.org/2019/11/20/781260650/israel-may-hold-new-elections-after-netanyahus-rival-fails-to-form-government

The post Israel May Hold New Elections After Netanyahu’s Rival Fails To Form Government first appeared on Garner Ted Armstrong Evangelistic Association.

Illustrative: Iran says it successfully tested the Hoveizeh cruise missile on February 2, 2019 (Screen grab via Tasnim)

Israel is readying for a direct cruise missile or drone strike by Tehran in response to recent attacks on Iranian regional proxies which have been attributed to the Jewish state, Army Radio reported Tuesday evening.

Unlike ballistic missiles, which usually fly through a high arc on the way to the target, cruise missiles and drones fly at low altitude, making them harder to detect.

The report cited anonymous “Israeli sources,” who said the IDF was already on high alert for the possibility and that the security cabinet will convene for an “unplanned” meeting next Tuesday against a backdrop of tensions with the Islamic Republic.

This would be the second time this month that the high-level security cabinet has convened. On October 6, its members gathered amid cryptic warnings by Israeli leaders of a growing security threat from Iran. That meeting lasted for nearly six hours.

During the meeting, ministers discussed a proposal, being pushed by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, for a NIS 1 billion ($290 million) project to boost Israel’s air defenses that would place particular focus on defending the country against cruise missile attacks.

A suicide drone developed by Iran’s elite Revolutionary Guards, October 26, 2016 (AFP)

Channel 12 at the time cited anonymous officials who believed Tehran may have publicized information about an allegedly foiled “Israel-Arab” plot to assassinate General Qassem Soleimani, the head of the elite Quds Force in Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, as a pretense to attack Israel.

Both Netanyahu and President Reuven Rivlin have mentioned crucial security needs in recent days as they called for the formation of a broad unity government after the September 17 elections.

Iran appears to have been building up its drone activities and attacks in recent months — in August, Israeli fighter jets carried out airstrikes in Syria to thwart a planned attack on Israel by Iran-backed fighters using armed drones, the Israel Defense Forces said. The Israeli military said its strike targeted operatives from Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ Quds Force as well as Shiite militias who had been planning on sending “kamikaze” attack drones into Israel armed with explosives.

In September, a cruise missile and drone attack on Saudi Arabian oil facilities knocked out half the kingdom’s oil production. Although Yemen’s Iranian-backed Houthi rebels claimed responsibility, the US, Britain, France, Germany, and Saudi Arabia have blamed Iran of being behind the attack.

Channel 12 News reported that defense officials who have studied the weapons used in the attack on the Saudi facilities concluded that a similar assault by Iran on Israel if it came, would likely be launched from western Iraq, where there is a strong presence of Iran-backed militias.

Iran regularly threatens Israel, viewing the country as a powerful enemy allied with the United States and Sunni countries in the region against Tehran and its nuclear ambitions.

Israel has also thwarted Iranian operations in neighboring Syria where its fighters and those of Iranian proxy Hezbollah have been fighting alongside forces loyal to Syrian President Bashar Assad since 2011.

In this photo from August 12, 2019, plumes of smoke rise after an explosion at a military base southwest of Baghdad, Iraq. (AP Photo/Loay Hameed)

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Israel has vowed to prevent Iran’s regional proxy militias from obtaining advanced weapons to use against the Jewish state and has carried out hundreds of airstrikes in Syria that it says were to prevent delivery of weapons and to stop the Iranian military entrenchment in that country.

Late last month, Iraqi Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi announced that investigations have determined the recent spate of airstrikes targeting powerful Iranian-backed militias in Iraq were carried out by Israel.

The Qatari-funded TV network also quoted him as saying that “many indicators show that no one wants war in the region except for Israel,” according to a translation by the Reuters news agency.

A spokesperson for the Israel Defense Forces declined to comment on the statements from the Iraqi premier, saying “these are reports from foreign media and we do not comment on them.”

Since July, there have been at least nine strikes both inside Iraq and across the border in Syria, targeting the Iran-backed militias, known collectively as the Popular Mobilization Forces, or PMF.

Leaders of the powerful Shiite paramilitary group have repeatedly blamed Israel and by extension its US ally, which maintains more than 5,000 troops in Iraq.

Israel has not confirmed its involvement in the attacks, though Netanyahu has hinted at the possibility that it has struck in Iraq.

Earlier this month, a senior Iranian lawmaker blamed Israel, the United States, and Saudi Arabia for an alleged attack on an oil tanker off the Saudi coast and said he would take the complaint to the UN.

This photo taken on Sunday, Oct. 13, 2019, and released by the official news agency of the Iranian Oil Ministry, SHANA, shows the scene of damage by two missiles that allegedly struck the Iranian oil tanker Sabiti, at the Red Sea. (SHANA via AP)

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Tehran says the Iranian-flagged Sabiti tanker was hit by two separate explosions off the Red Sea port of Jeddah.

Hassan Beigi, a member of the Iranian parliament’s national security and foreign policy commission, claimed without evidence that the US, Israel and Saudi Arabia were alleging the Islamic State jihadist group or Afghanistan’s Taliban for an alleged attack on an oil tanker last week off the Saudi coast and said he would take the complaint to the UN.

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Source: https://www.timesofisrael.com/israel-said-bracing-for-direct-cruise-missile-or-drone-attack-by-iran/

[Disclaimer]

The post Israel said bracing for direct cruise missile or drone attack by Iran first appeared on Garner Ted Armstrong Evangelistic Association.

sraeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attends the swearing-in ceremony of the 22nd Knesset, the Israeli parliament, in Jerusalem October 3, 2019. (photo credit: RONEN ZVULUN/REUTERS)

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rarely speaks of the very real need for security and stability in Israel. Following that nation’s recent election, he warned: “One thing is clear, the State of Israel is at a historic turning point. We are facing immense opportunities, and immense challenges, including the existential threat from Iran.”

Adding to Israel’s safety issue is what has become a more dangerous and antagonistic Iran. The country of mullahs and ayatollahs has sanctioned attacks on international vessels in the Persian Gulf, the shooting down of American drones outside Iran’s air space, and a blatant assault on Saudi Arabia’s oil services. The lack of any condemnation from international sources is appalling. This includes the United States, which has not responded decisively either.

The US has come across in recent months as unwilling to confront Iran.

Israel’s political and legal drama could induce the Iranians to launch an attack against unmanned aerial drones (UAVs). Netanyahu is certainly aware of Iran’s desire to obliterate his beloved home country. He wishes to equip the Israel Defense Forces with adequate, though expensive, military equipment to forestall a foray by Iran. He has intimated that a security breach could occur at any time, and could force Israeli politicians to form a viable government.

After the recent Knesset induction ceremony, Netanyahu stated that an immense issue is facing Israel. He warned, “We are facing a huge security challenge that has been growing from week to week, in the last two months and especially in recent weeks – it’s not a spin or a whim, anyone who knows the details knows how true they are… Iran is getting tighter, its boldness and impudence are increasing, it is attacking international shipping routes, attacking all places and directly attacking US aircraft and now Saudi Arabia’s oil fields, and it says most clearly – Israel will disappear. It’s a quote and not a theory.”

If Iran attempts a similar, but more massive mission launched from Iraq, as was the one launched into Saudi Arabia, it is possible that strategic targets in Israel could be hit. Such an attempt on Israel would be even more devastating if Hezbollah were to, at the same time, fire its 150,000 missiles from Lebanon into northern Israel.

Netanyahu is not alone in his concerns for the country while the various parties try to form a unity government. At the induction of the 22nd Knesset, Israel’s President Reuven Rivlin was quoted as saying, “We are facing a time of crisis for the House of Jacob. An emergency for Israel’s security and for Israeli society, an emergency for Israeli democracy: all that is dear to us…” Forming a government is not only the wish of the people,” the president said. “More than ever, in times like these, it is an economic and security need, the likes of which we have not known for many years.”

Source: https://www.jpost.com/Opinion/Israels-urgent-need-Stable-government-604469

The post Israel’s Urdent Need: Stable Government first appeared on Garner Ted Armstrong Evangelistic Association.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu looks at his watch before delivering a statement at the Knesset, Israel’s parliament, in Jerusalem December 19, 2018. \ AMIR COHEN/ REUTERS

Once again facing deadlocked election results with no clear path to forming a government after the September 17 election, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s political calculus is further clouded by his own legal concerns.

Despite relentless attempts by his legal team to postpone, Netanyahu’s final pre-indictment hearing in three corruption cases he is facing is scheduled to begin on October 2. This is expected to quickly shift his attention from political concerns to legal matters.

The election results and Netanyahu’s legal fate are linked.

Should Netanyahu triumph in his quest to put together a 61-member Knesset majority, he is believed to be planning to use his power to obtain immunity from prosecution from the Knesset and passing legislation to prevent the High Court of Justice from removing that immunity.

Attorney General Avichai Mendelblit at the opening of the legal year at the Airport City complex adjacent to Ben Gurion airport, on September 3, 2019.\ Credit: Ilan Assayag

Despite numerous reports to this effect – and public statements from political parties supporting Netanyahu vowing to back immunity legislation – the Prime Minister’s Office has repeatedly denied that any such plans are in place, calling it a “false media spin.”

What are these hearings about and why are they being held? 

Six months ago, in late February, Attorney General Avichai Mendelblit publicly announced that he has decided to indict Netanyahu for fraud, bribery, and breach of trust in three criminal cases, pending a hearing.

Mendelblit’s decision came after examining – and agreeing with – two police reports issued the previous year, which recommended that the prime minister be indicted in three affairs known as Case 1000, Case 2000 and Case 4000.

Netanyahu speaks about his corruption cases in a televised statement from his residence, January 7, 2019.

Mendelblit recommended that Netanyahu be indicted for fraud and breach of trust in cases 1000 and 2000, and bribery and breach of trust on Case 4000. He did so after consulting with more than 20 senior legal officials who scrutinized the evidence in the cases, some of which were under investigation for more than three years.

According to Israeli law, before an indictment can be handed down, Netanyahu has the right to a hearing where he can plead his case before a final decision is made.

The hearing – which can either be a written exchange or in-person hearings – is a lengthy, months-long process. Such hearings give the legal team of the person accused the chance to be heard before state prosecutors, in order to dispute and refute any of the evidence and analysis in the report that accompanies the state’s decision to indict.

In a number of prominent previous political corruption cases, such as that of Tzachi Hanegbi in 2001 and Avigdor Lieberman in 2012, it has resulted in the closing of cases. The Israel Democracy Institute reported that, according to 2016 data from the state prosecutor’s office, when an in-person hearing was held, 41 percent of the cases were eventually closed (49 out of 129 cases).”

Netanyahu’s hearing has been postponed as a result of the two elections that have been held since the police recommendation was issued. The first election, on April 9, was called in December 2018 – before Mendelblit’s indictment recommendation was announced, but after it was rumored to be in the works. The prospect of the announcement was credited by many political observers for being the reason that Netanyahu called the April elections, in hopes of postponing the announcement.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu next to Avichai Mendelblit during a cabinet meeting in 2015.Dan Balilty / AP

But the indictment recommendation was, in the end, made mid-campaign. It was done, presumably, because postponing the announcement and making his decision public after the election would have led to accusations that the attorney general was overturning the will of the electorate. Mendelblit saw it fit for the public to know Netanyahu’s legal situation and whether they are electing a leader about to be charged with crimes before casting their ballot.

Netanyahu’s team argued that with the election only six weeks away, announcing the decision could be seen as influencing the vote and unfairly damaging Netanyahu’s chances.

> Charges against Netanyahu are solid, embarrassing – and lethal | Analysis

Mendelblit chose to reject the repeated requests of Netanyahu’s lawyers to delay publicizing the decision until after the election, noting instead “the principle of equality in the eyes of the law and the public’s right to know about important legal decisions such as these.”

Can Netanyahu stay in office if he is elected, and, post-hearing, he is indicted? 

Yes, he can. There is no legal requirement for him to resign as prime minister if he is indicted. It is fully possible – many say probable – that he will remain in power if he wins the election and is subsequently indicted, despite doubts that he can prepare a legal defense while running the country.

There is also the issue of conflicts of interest, given his power over the Justice Ministry and other arms of law enforcement. The law that allows him to continue as prime minister is likely to be challenged in court.

What are the the three cases Netanyahu may be indicted for?

Case 1000

Illustration by Eran Wolkowski

This case is considered the most straightforward of the alleged crimes as it involves old-fashioned favor-trading. The Israeli police, in their February 2018 recommendation that Netanyahu be indicted for bribery, fraud, and breach of trust, maintain that the premier received lavish gifts from two wealthy friends – Israeli-born Hollywood mogul Arnon Milchan and Australian billionaire James Packer – in exchange for political favors such as promoting the two moguls’ business interests or obtaining visas.

Together, the police said, Milchan and Packer’s gifts to the Netanyahus (including the prime minister’s wife, Sara) are estimated to have amounted to over 1 million shekels ($276,000). This sum is based on testimony from the gift-givers and their employees, as well as receipts and other documents.

Netanyahu has not denied that such gifts were given. He freely admits accepting expensive cigars and pink champagne from Milchan as tokens of friendship, along with other gifts like an expensive piece of jewelry requested by Sara Netanyahu as a birthday gift (from Milchan) and free airplane flights and five-star hotel rooms for the Netanyahus’ eldest son, Yair, from Packer.

But the police, in their indictment recommendation, maintained that Milchan was directly rewarded for his generosity. They said the investigation “revealed that the relationship between the prime minister and Mr. Milchan was one of criminal bribery and not an innocent relationship between friends.”

The police report detailed five areas in which Netanyahu allegedly performed favors for Milchan, specifically:

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu / Arnon Milchan / James Packer.  Credit: rancois Mori/ AFP, Vittorio Zunino Celotto / Getty Images, Julian Abram Wainwright/Bloomberg

* Using his influence as prime minister to push for the passage of the so-called Milchan law, which cut taxes for Israelis returning to the Jewish state after spending time abroad – a tax break allegedly worth over 1 million shekels for Milchan. MK Yair Lapid, Netanyahu’s finance minister in his 2013-2014 government, testified to this, police said.

* Assisting Milchan in his efforts to get a new 10-year U.S. visa.

* Arranging a meeting between Milchan and the then-director general of the Communications Ministry to advance the producer’s interests in the Israeli television market.

* Furthering a deal tied to Indian businessman Ratan Tata, who was allegedly Milchan’s business partner, despite the fact that “officials in the Defense Ministry and Prime Minister’s Office opposed the project,” say police.

* Intervening to prevent the collapse of the television network Channel 10, in which Milchan was a minority shareholder.

Mendelblit said Netanyahu should be indicted for fraud and breach of trust, but omitted the bribery recommendation made by the police.

Case 2000

This case centers around Netanyahu’s alleged desire to receive better coverage in one of the country’s leading dailies, Yedioth Ahronoth – a desire strong enough for him to allegedly strike a deal with the paper’s publisher, Arnon Mozes.

Netanyahu was caught on tape telling Mozes he would convince Yedioth’s main competitor – the free daily Israel Hayom, owned by Netanyahu’s patron Sheldon Adelson – to limit its circulation. This would have been a boon to Mozes and Yedioth, weakening their prime source of competition and its ad revenues.

In exchange, the police say, Netanyahu asked Mozes to cover his government less critically and stop attacking him personally.

Yedioth Ahronoth publisher Arnon “Noni” Mozes in December 2018. Credit: Ofer Vaknin

Netanyahu’s defense has been that the offer to Mozes wasn’t serious; rather, he was “testing” him. But Adelson reportedly told the police when questioned that Netanyahu did attempt to persuade him from plans to expand Israel Hayom – indicating that a possible deal was struck.

Case 4000

Case 4000 alleges that Netanyahu made decisions benefiting media mogul Shaul Elovitch – the controlling shareholder of Bezeq, Israel’s largest telecommunications firm – in exchange for positive coverage on Walla News, a website owned by Elovitch.

The Israel Securities Authority backed the police’s recommendations, which said that both Benjamin and Sara Netanyahu, as well as Elovitch and his wife Iris, should be charged.

The police recommended that the prime minister again be charged with bribery, fraud, and breach of trust, as well as aggravated fraudulent receiving of an item. The recommended charges against Sara Netanyahu were bribery, fraud, breach of trust and obstruction of justice.

The police said they found evidence that “Netanyahu and those close to him blatantly intervened, sometimes on a daily basis, in content published on the Walla news website, and sought to influence the appointment of senior employees (editors and reporters) while using their ties to Shaul and Iris Elovitch.”

The alleged quid pro quo between the Netanyahu us and Elovitches was first revealed by Haaretz’s Gidi Weitz in November 2015, in an exposé titled “The Israeli News Site in Netanyahu’s Pocket.”

In recent weeks, leaked testimony from police investigations in all of Netanyahu’s cases have bolstered the argument that both Netanyahu and his wife Sara have systematically leveraged their influence to receive favorable media coverage from media moguls.

Channel 12 news reporter Guy Peleg has quoted testimony from officials involved in Case 4000 indicating that Netanyahu allegedly asked the Communications Ministry to act on behalf of his friend Elovtich. This has led to fierce attacks by Netanyahu on Peleg and his news organization.

Additional leaked testimony revealed that U.S. business magnate Sheldon Adelson and his wife Miriam suffered verbal abuse from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s wife, Sara over their coverage in the Israel Hayom daily that Adelson owns.

Channel 13 News reported that Hollywood producer Arnon Milchan, the central figure in Case 1000 told police  that he attended a dinner at the Prime Minister’s Residence in which Netanyahu’s wife lashed at the Adelsons, telling them, ‘You are spilling my blood, you are all spilling my blood” and that Sheldon Adelson responded, “Calm down, we’re doing the best we can. I lose 40-50 million dollars a year [on Israel Hayom] … We regularly write in your favor and you keep shouting at me.”

Another report from Channel 12 involving testimony from Case 2000 quoted Miriam Adelson as saying that Sara Netanyahu “once told me that if Iran gets nuclear weapons and Israel is wiped out, I’ll be to blame because I’m not defending Bibi.”

Both the prime minister and his wife complained about their coverage with the Adelson newspaper’s former editor in chief, Amos Regev, both in person and in “screaming phone calls.”

Eventually, Adelson said, she and her husband got fed up and stopped visiting the Netanyahus.

Source: https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/.premium-israel-election-results-netanyahu-escape-corruption-cases-1.7846390

The post Israel Election Results: Can Netanyahu Escape the Corruption Cases Against Him? first appeared on Garner Ted Armstrong Evangelistic Association.

President Reuven Rivlin, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and Blue and White leader Benny Gantz shake hands at the memorial ceremony for the late president Shimon Peres, at the Mount Herzl cemetery in Jerusalem, on September 19, 2019. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)

A poll published Friday indicated that almost two-thirds of Israelis would rather see the country’s rival political parties backtrack on election promises and compromise, rather than be plunged into a third election in a year.

A narrow majority also say Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu should step down as Likud leader to enable a unity government. The rival Blue and White party has offered to partner Likud in a coalition, but only if Netanyahu, who is embroiled in legal difficulties, steps down.

According to the Channel 12 survey, only 23% favored further elections to break the current political deadlock, with 63% wanting the rival Likud and Blue and White parties to compromise on their positions to enable a unity government.

The poll comes after negotiating teams for Likud and Blue and White met Friday morning for ongoing talks over a potential unity government between the two parties, but made little headway, with each side appearing chiefly concerned with avoiding any blame for a collapse of negotiations.

Some 33% blamed Netanyahu for the deadlock, compared to 20% blaming Blue and White leader Benny Gantz, and 25% holding the rivals equally to blame, the survey found.

Likud is refusing to compromise on including its entire, 55-seat ultra-Orthodox and right-wing bloc in a unity government, while Blue and White insists it won’t serve with Netanyahu, who faces indictments in three corruptions cases pending a hearing set for next week.

The survey found that 52% believe Netanyahu should stand down as Likud leader to enable a unity government to be formed, while 34% said he should not.

That rises to 59% should the Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit file an indictment against Netanyahu, the survey found.

Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit speaks at a farewell ceremony for Emi Palmor, the outgoing director-general of the Justice Ministry, at the Justice Ministry headquarters in Jerusalem on August 7, 2019. (Hadas Parush/Flash90)

Netanyahu faces looming indictments for fraud and breach of trust in three criminal cases and bribery in one of them. One case involves gifts from wealthy associates, while the other two concern quid pro quo deals with news outlet owners in which Netanyahu allegedly promised regulatory favors in exchange for positive media coverage. He denies the allegations in all three cases.

The same survey found that 32% of respondents believe Gantz won the elections, 19% think Netanyahu won and 49% think neither leader won.

Blue and White received 33 seats to Likud’s 32. Neither has a majority to form a government without the other.

It also found 40% thought Gantz should serve first as prime minister in a unity government, with 38% preferring Netanyahu.

If Israel did head to new elections, 64% said their vote would not change, 11% said it would, and 11% said they wouldn’t vote.

The survey questioned a representative sample of 505 Israelis with a 4.4% margin of error.

Israel held elections on September 17 after Netanyahu failed to form a coalition following elections on April 9. Then, as now, the fiercely secular Yisrael Beytenu party of Avigdor Liberman refused to join a coalition with ultra-Orthodox members. Netanyahu heads a 55-MK bloc of ultra-Orthodox and right-wing parties.

Blue and White party leader Benny Gantz (right) meets with Yisrael Beytenu party head Avigdor Liberman on September 23, 2019. (Elad Malka)

Gantz heads a bloc of 54 centrist, left-wing and Arab politicians. Three other Arab politicians are backing no prime ministerial candidate and Liberman, who insists on backing only a “liberal, nationalist” coalition including both Likud and Blue and White, holds the balance of power between the Netanyahu- and Gantz-led blocs.

TV reports on Friday said the prospect of Israel being forced to a third round of elections within 12 months was growing increasingly realistic, with Netanyahu inclined to announce as soon as next week that he cannot form a majority.

Both of Israel’s main TV stations reported that Netanyahu, who was charged by President Reuven Rivlin on Wednesday night with the task of trying to muster a Knesset majority, is set to announce as soon as next week that he cannot do so, blaming Gantz’s Blue and White for the failure.

Both Channels 12 and 13 said Netanyahu is set to “return the mandate” immediately after the Rosh Hashanah Jewish new year festival, which runs from Sunday evening to Tuesday night.

Source: https://www.timesofisrael.com/poll-shows-most-israelis-prefer-parties-to-compromise-rather-than-go-to-3rd-vote/

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Israeli President Reuven Rivlin has made clear to both Netanyahu’s right-wing Likud party and Benny Gantz’s centrist Blue and White that he wants at all costs to avoid a fresh do-over election (AFP Photo/MENAHEM KAHANA)

Joint List head Ayman Odeh (C) speaks to the press in the presence of Ahmad Tibi (R) and Mansour Abbas (L) following a meeting with Israel’s president (AFP Photo/MENAHEM KAHANA)

Jerusalem (AFP) – Israel’s president tasked Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu with forming a new government Wednesday after last week’s deadlocked elections, but the premier faces a tough battle in negotiating a coalition deal to keep him in power.

President Reuven Rivlin mandated Netanyahu to try to form the government after his initial attempts at negotiating a unity deal between the prime minister and his main challenger Benny Gantz failed.

Netanyahu again called for a unity government when accepting the mandate from Rivlin, but the two sides appear a long way from a compromise.

The 69-year-old prime minister, noting security and diplomatic challenges, said a “broad national unity government … is needed now.”

“Everyone understands that there won’t be another opportunity,” Netanyahu said from Rivlin’s residence.

“That’s why I will do everything in my power to establish it with joint leadership.”

Gantz, however, criticized the negotiating tactics Netanyahu’s Likud had used so far and reiterated that his own Blue and White would not be part of a government with a prime minister facing indictment for serious crimes.

Netanyahu faces the possibility of a corruption indictment in the weeks ahead, pending a hearing set for early October.

Blue and White members have said he must deal with his legal issues and allow Gantz to take the post of prime minister, at least initially.

“Blue and White led by me will not agree to sit in a government with a leader against whom stands a severe indictment,” Gantz said in a statement.

Rivlin’s announcement followed a joint meeting between the president, Netanyahu, and Gantz, their second since the September 17 election.

In Rivlin’s remarks, the president said he had so far been unable to have the two work out a unity deal, which he has repeatedly said is needed to form a stable government.

Netanyahu will now have 28 days to form a government, with a possible two-week extension.

If all attempts fail, Rivlin can then assign the task to someone else.

Netanyahu pledged Wednesday to let Rivlin hand the mandate to someone else if he does not succeed — rather than move toward new elections as he did when he failed to form a coalition following April polls.

Final results from September 17 voting gave Gantz’s centrist Blue and White 33 seats, ahead of right-wing Likud’s 32 out of a total 120 seats in the Knesset, Israel’s parliament.

Neither has a clear path to a majority coalition.

Netanyahu received the endorsement of 55 members of parliament for the post of prime minister after the election, while Gantz received 54.

Ten of the parliament members endorsing Gantz, however, are from Arab parties and have said they will not serve in a government with the ex-military leader.

– ‘Broad governing coalition’ –

A rotation agreement has been floated, but there has been disagreement over who would lead it first.

Chief negotiators for Likud and Blue and White met Tuesday but emerged afterward with only vague statements.

Netanyahu is Israel’s longest-serving prime minister and has shown no sign of willingly giving up the post he has held for a total of more than 13 years.

The timing in a rotation agreement is especially important for Netanyahu.

A prime minister does not have to step down if indicted — only if convicted with all appeals exhausted — while other ministers can be forced to do so when charged.

Rivlin has pledged to do all he can to avoid a third election in a year’s time after April’s inconclusive polls.

“While the elections highlighted the divisions within Israeli society — Jewish and Arab, religious and secular — it is now time to work together on building a shared vision for our common future,” Rivlin said at a Wednesday reception for foreign diplomats marking the Jewish New Year.

“I, therefore, believe that the right path for the state of Israel today is to build as broad a governing coalition as possible.”

Netanyahu has highlighted the fact that he has more support from smaller parties in parliament and pledged not to abandon them in a coalition deal.

Gantz says his party is the largest and he should be in the lead.

Separately, Israel’s Arab parties, running together under the Joint List alliance, finished as the third-largest force in parliament with 13 seats.

Should Likud and Blue and White succeed in forming a unity government, Joint List head Ayman Odeh could emerge as Israel’s first Arab opposition leader.

Source: https://news.yahoo.com/netanyahu-gantz-set-talks-israel-vote-deadlock-100806269.html

The post Netanyahu tasked with forming new Israeli government first appeared on Garner Ted Armstrong Evangelistic Association.

As the Jewish Voice meets its weekly publication deadline on Tuesday evening in New York City, it has been reported that the results of the much anticipated Israel elections have once again concluded in a stalemate of sorts. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has failed to secure a ruling majority in Israel’s second election of 2019, according to exit polls released by Israeli television channels on Tuesday.

According to a report on the Haaretz web site, exit polls currently indicate that Netanyahu’s Likud party will gain approximately 56 seats. The polls indicate that the largest party is Benny Gantz’s, Kachol v’Lavan. The Haaretz report indicates that since neither Netanyahu nor Gantz appear to have gained a 61-seat majority, the two are likely to enter into deliberations with Israeli President Reuven Rivlin who will determine which of them will receive the mandate to try and cobble together a governing coalition.

According to two of the polls, Kahol Lavan is leading with 32-34 Knesset seats, while Likud is projected to garner 33-30 seats.

Haaretz reported that in all three polls, the Joint List of Arab parties is projected to have garnered 15 seats, making it the third-largest party in the Knesset, while Yamina, led by Ayelet Shaked, is currently projected to win 6-7 seats, and Avigdor Lieberman’s Yisrael Beiteinu is expected to receive 8-9 seats, as of the time of publication on Tuesday evening.

Amongst the religious parties, the polls indicate that the Shas party is projected to win nine seats. United Torah Judaism is projected to win 7-8 seats, according to the Haaretz report.

All three exit polls have said that the Democratic Union party is projected to win 5-6 seats, whereas Labor-Gesher, which teetered on the edge of the electoral threshold in polls leading up to the vote, is projected to win six seats in all three exit polls, according to the Haaretz report.

As of 2:07 am Israel time, Channel 12 in Israel have updated their exit polls that show that Kahol Lavan and Likud are tied.

Kahol Lavan: 32

Likud: 32

Joint List: 13

Yisrael Beiteinu: 9

Shas: 9

United Torah Judaism: 7

Yamina: 7

Labor: 6

Democratic Union: 5

The leaders of the Blue and White Party including its leader, former IDF chief Benny Gantz as well as Yair Lapid, Gabi Ashkenazi and Moshe Ya’alon on Tuesday night arrived at party headquarters at the Tel Aviv Port, according to an INN report.

INN reported that Gantz said in his remarks, “We will wait for the true results, but it seems as though we have accomplished the mission, and no less important–we accomplished it in our way. Blue and White was and remains a major and central force in the Israeli political arena.”

“As we said, we will now patiently wait for the real results. However, we can say that it appears as though Netanyahu was unsuccessful in his mission. We, on the other hand, proved that the idea called ‘Blue and White’–a venture we started a little over six months ago–has succeeded, in a big way, and is here to stay.”

Some Netanyahu supporters gathered at the Likud Party headquarters in Tel Aviv on Tuesday night. They reacted to the initial exit polls by waving banners emblazoned not with “Netanyahu,” but instead with “Trump.”

Throughout his campaign, the Prime Minister boasted about his tight relationship with President Trump, who is quite popular in Israel. And billboards across the country are plastered with photographs of the two of them together.

Neither Likud nor Kachol v’Lavan appears able to form a majority coalition without the support of Avigdor Liberman, leader of the midsize Yisrael Beitenu party, according to a report on World Israel News.

In a speech to his supporters, Liberman said the only choice is for the two large parties to join him in a broad, secular coalition that would not be subject to the demands of Charedi parties such as Shas and United Torah Judaism.

Liberman’s call would set the stage for complicated negotiations, according to the WIN report.

In the closing days of his campaign, Netanyahu vowed to annex large parts of Judea and Samaria, which Israel liberated in the aftermath of defeating four Arab armies in 1967’s Six-Day War. The Palestinians, who in over 70 years have yet to create a viable independent state, demand that Israel cede large swaths of that territory, as was reported on the WIN web site.

No serious peace talks have taken place since 2009, with Palestinian rejectionism remaining the hallmark of Mahmoud Abbas’ regime.

Israeli President Reuven Rivlin’s office said Tuesday that his nomination of a candidate to form the next government would be guided in part by the need to avoid a third election, after two votes in five months, as was reported by World Israel News. Rivlin said he would meet with party leaders “after he receives a clear picture of the results, and as soon as possible.”

Ayman Odeh, the leader of the Arab Joint List, told Israeli media that if the final results match the exit polls, Arab voters will have “prevented Netanyahu from forming a government.”

Tazpit Press Service reported earlier on Tuesday that Prime Minister Netanyahu’s Facebook chatbot was suspended on election day after it published poll results. Publishing polling results in the days prior to elections day is illegal in Israel.

A Netanyahu bot was suspended last week after it published “incitement.”

“We work with election committees around the world to help maintain the purity of elections. Our policy specifically states that developers are required to comply with all applicable laws in the country where their app is available. Therefore, we have suspended the bot activity in violation of local law until the polls close,” Facebook stated. Netanyahu accused Facebook of buckling to left-wing pressure, according to the TPS report.

Several parties claimed they have documented attempts at elections fraud at various locations across the country, and a few voting stations were shut down following scuffles at the site, as was reported by TPS.

Political parties across the spectrum on Tuesday submitted several complaints to the police and the Central Elections Committee following claims that they have exposed attempts to influence the outcome of the elections in a fraudulent fashion.

TPS reported that in Jerusalem, a 17-year-old was arrested after it was reported that he attempted to vote using an ID card that did not belong to him. The voting age in Israel is 18.

The police were alerted to the Arab town of Yarka in the north after a voter was caught trying to cast several votes at once when he was entitled to only one. At other locations, parties claimed that representatives of other political bodies attempted to limit the votes for them by hiding the ballots with their party name, as was reported by TPS.

All parties are claiming that the turnout of their supporters is low in comparison to their political rivals, a ploy to motivate their supports to go out and vote.

The voting turnout at 2 o’clock was 36.5%, compared to the slightly lower 35.8% at the same time of day in the April elections.

Some 130,000 chose to spend the day hiking and visiting nature reserves throughout the country. Malls reported they were full of shoppers who took the day to shop for the upcoming holiday. Many others chose to soak in the last rays of sun at the beach, before the summer ends, according to the TPS report.

(TPS, INN, WIN)

Source: http://thejewishvoice.com/2019/09/19/israeli-election-too-close-to-call-again-will-unity-govt-emerge-2/

The post Israeli Election Too Close to Call–AGAIN! Will Unity Gov’t Emerge? first appeared on Garner Ted Armstrong Evangelistic Association.

Exactly one month after the 21st Knesset was sworn in, a majority of the Knesset voted late Wednesday night to disperse and initiate an unprecedented repeat election on September 17.

It was the first time in Israeli history that a candidate for prime minister failed to form a coalition after being given the task by the president after an election.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told the Likud faction ahead of the vote that he had not succeeded in reaching a compromise with Yisrael Beytenu leader Avigdor Liberman on the controversial haredi (ultra-Orthodox) conscription bill, and that he had also tried unsuccessfully to woo MKs from the opposition to join his government.

“The State of Israel is going to elections because of the Likud’s refusal to accept our proposal,” Liberman said as he entered the Knesset plenum. “This is a complete surrender of the Likud to the ultra-Orthodox. We will not be partners in a government of Jewish law.”

Tourism Minister Yariv Levin, head of the Likud’s negotiating team, told reporters “it’s over,” as he arrived at the Likud meeting after his last negotiation had failed.

Environmental Protection Minister Ze’ev Elkin said that there was no choice but to hold new elections, due to Liberman’s intransigence and refusal to accept “1,000 compromises” that had been offered throughout the last week.

The vote – taken just after the midnight deadline by which Netanyahu needed to tell President Reuven Rivlin whether he had been able to form a governing coalition – was 74 to 45 in favor of dispersing.

Opposition MKs shouted “shame, shame, shame” in unison ahead of the vote.

The Likud initiated the bill to dissolve the Knesset rather than give Rivlin a chance to appoint someone other than Netanyahu to form a government.

In presenting the bill to the Knesset, Likud MK Miki Zohar said that he is “disappointed by the situation, but we were forced into it.” He admitted that the decision “would not be remembered positively in our history.”

“The Left asks us why we didn’t give [Blue and White leader] Benny Gantz a chance to form the coalition,” Zohar said. “Two and a half million people voted as if they had two votes, for their party and for [Netanyahu]… despite knowing about the [pre-indictment] hearing [for the prime minister on corruption charges]. They didn’t want Gantz.”

According to Zohar, those calling to let Gantz form the government are “saying to give the opportunity to the minority to form the government at the expense of the majority. The majority rules, while the minority has rights. That is the meaning of democracy.”

The bill called the election for September 17, but there were several other options the coalition was set to vote on in the second reading. Netanyahu asked the other parties to back September 17, because that is what Yisrael Beytenu preferred, and he needed them to have a majority in favor of dissolving the Knesset.

In the unsuccessful coalition talks, the Likud had proposed that as soon as the government would be formed, Liberman’s original conscription law would be presented, as written and in his language, for the approval of the Knesset plenum. After its approval, there would be more negotiations when the law would be prepared for its final readings.

If that agreement is not reached by the end of July, the party said, and in accordance with the decision of the High Court of Justice, the current arrangement that has exempted haredim from being drafted would expire, and the compulsory service law would apply to all. The ultra-Orthodox parties would therefore have to choose between Liberman’s version of the law or a return to the original law, which means full mobilization for haredim, the Likud said.

“The proposal has now been submitted to the parties, and we await their positive response in order to form a right-wing government tonight and prevent unnecessary elections,” the party wrote.

In response, United Torah Judaism said that it would back another party to lead the coalition.

“We won’t retreat beyond what we have agreed to,” UTJ leader Deputy Health Minister Ya’acov Litzman said in his initial response to the Likud statement. “I still believe that a government can be formed. I’m on my way to sign on the coalition agreement.”

Liberman also initially rejected the proposal, saying it was not exactly what he had said all along about the conscription bill needing to be passed into law as is.

The proposal was made after the Likud reported that it had secured agreements with 60 MKs from the Likud, Kulanu, UTJ, Shas and the Union of Right-Wing Parties, leaving it only one MK short of a majority coalition.

After Kulanu denied that it had signed any documents and insisted it won’t sign unless the coalition would include 61 MKs, the Likud said the deal with Kulanu was complete and ready to be signed, pending Liberman joining the government.

Hours ahead of the deadline, Liberman stood his ground on the matter of haredi conscription.

“We repeatedly said we want the original [haredi] conscription bill, nothing else,” Liberman said. “People claiming that there’s a compromise, when it was just 10 millimeters of movement, are not familiar with the bill.”

Liberman said that proposed compromises “empty the bill of all content,” and he will not agree to them.

The bill, which the Defense Ministry drafted under Liberman’s leadership, sets rising annual targets for haredi conscription in the IDF.

“The bill is good for the IDF, for the haredim and for Israel,” Liberman stated. “We have to be reasonable. I am appealing to the haredi MKs’ reason…. There is no better bill than this. Let it pass with you abstaining.”

The Likud attacked Liberman fiercely throughout the day.

“Liberman continues to mislead,” the Likud said in an official statement. “He says ‘I will consider’ to every offer and stalls for a few days. His goal is to end Netanyahu’s career and replace him.”

The Likud mocked Liberman for portraying himself as the defender of secular people, after he prevented there being a secular mayor of Jerusalem.

“For a few seats and his hunger for power, he is dragging an entire country to elections,” the Likud concluded.

Yisrael Beytenu responded by condemning the Likud’s tone and reiterating that Liberman’s views on the conscription bill have been consistent.

Earlier, a Likud spokesman confirmed that offers were made to the Labor Party and the Blue and White Party. In talks with Labor head Avi Gabbay, Netanyahu offered him the Defense or Finance ministries and three other ministerial positions, in an effort to convince him to join his government.

A Labor spokesman confirmed that the party received an offer from the Likud that included stopping bills that the party believes would harm democracy, including the Immunity Law. But the spokesman said the offer was considered and rejected.

Labor MKs expressed outrage that Gabbay mulled the offer for a full day before telling them. By contrast, Blue and White said no immediately.

Opposition MKs took advantage of the nearly 12-hour debate to bring up their grievances against the government that was never formed.

Many lamented the estimated NIS 475 million that the election will cost, according to the Finance Ministry, saying that taxpayer money would be better spent elsewhere. In addition, industry experts estimated that the day off for Election Day will cost the economy NIS 2 billion.

“Likud MKs, you also have the option of showing some courage and saying no to Netanyahu,” Blue and White MK Miki Haimovich said.

Another MK from Blue and White, Yoaz Hendel, said: “Have an opinion. If you’re on the Right, then Right; Left, then Left. But say something other than ‘Bibi!’ Is that Right? When it comes to Hamas, you turn into Peace Now. When there are [corruption] allegations, you become defense attorneys. You turned into dishrags.”

Blue and White MK Ram Shefa hosted a trivia game from the Knesset stage, asking who said various quotes from politicians, and offering champagne, cigars and trays of take-out meals – references to Netanyahu’s corruption investigations.

Alon Einhorn and Tzvi Joffre contributed to this report.

Source: https://www.jpost.com/Israel-News/Elections-set-for-Sept-17-after-coalition-talks-fail-591044

The post Israel goes back to elections as Netanyahu fails to form coalition first appeared on Garner Ted Armstrong Evangelistic Association.

U.S. Vice President Mike Pence is scheduled to land in Tel Aviv on Sunday night at 6:15 PM. His arrival follows visits in Jordan and Egypt.

On Monday, Pence will speak at the Knesset and meet with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Tuesday’s schedule includes a tour of Yad Vashem, a visit to the Western Wall, and a meeting with President Reuven Rivlin in Jerusalem.

Netanyahu’s lovefest for Pence to highlight religious-nationalist domination of U.S.-Israel relations | Analysis

Preparations on the ground include the deployment of thousands of police officers, border police and volunteers throughout Israel, primarily on roads between Ben-Gurion International Airport and the Jerusalem area. Heavy traffic is expected, and some major roads will be closed.

Pence’s trip comes just 48 hours after a U.S. government shutdownbegan on Saturday.

Pence was originally scheduled to visit the region in December, but following U.S. President Donald Trump‘s recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, the trip was delayed.

The vice president will not meet with Palestinians, who are refusing to meet with him in protest of the U.S. government’s stance on Jerusalem. Pence, a conservative Christian, will not meet with Christian leaders while in Israel. Palestinians declared that Pence is “not welcome” in Bethlehem, an important Christian pilgrimage site.

While in Egypt, Pence told reporters that Trump is “firmly committed” to jump-starting the peace process, and had “heard out” concerns regarding the Jerusalem decision.

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Source: https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/pence-lands-in-israel-today-what-you-need-to-know-1.5748455

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The post Mike Pence Lands in Israel Today: Here’s What You Need to Know first appeared on Garner Ted Armstrong Evangelistic Association.