Conservative Benjamin Netanyahu vs. Liberal Benny Gantz
Israel’s historic 3rd election in less than one year will be decided on Monday, March 2, 2020.
The results of their last election on September 17, 2019 were a statistical tie, forcing this one set for Monday, just one day before the U.S. ‘Super Tuesday’ elections.
The last two highest vote-getters, Conservative Benjamin Netanyahu, and Liberal Benny Gantz, could conceivably tie again since their constituencies are highly polarized and resolute in their positions, similar to how things are headed in the United States between the likely November match-up between Capitalist Trump vs. Socialist Sanders.
A lot is at stake in this election as Trump and Netanyahu are in agreement for Israel to annex a significant amount of disputed territory, making it sovereign Israeli land, on equal footing as Jerusalem or Tel Aviv.
Weighing in on the likely election outcome and its consequences is David Rubin, former Shiloh, Israel Mayor and author of “Trump and the Jews.”
Q&A:
- Last September there was virtually a tie between Prime Minister Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Benny Gantz, just as there was in the April 2019 elections before that. Put bluntly, the September election was the election to end all elections, so to speak, yet the unthinkable happened, triggering this unprecedented election in less than one year. How’d that happen and can we be facing another deadlock and yet a fourth election? Or a fifth, or 50th for that matter? Will this ever end?
Answer: Netanyahu is center-right and Gantz is center-left. Neither of their constituencies is likely to sway much, so the key player here again is Avigdor Lieberman who last time forced Netanyahu to call for snap elections. The world is waiting to see if he compromises this time. And yes, there can be another election.
- Can you explain to our viewers/listeners the difference between the Israeli form of government and the U.S. government? Of course. Israel has a rather unwieldy parliamentary system with a whole bunch of smaller parties. It’s a system in which the leader of the most popular party must form a majority coalition by appealing to smaller parties that will join his coalition. Of the smaller parties, Lieberman’s was a ‘major minority’ and he is insisting on a government without religious parties, a so-called “government without God”.
- What are Netanyahu’s options in cutting a deal with Lieberman? He and Lieberman have had a very shaky relationship in the past and if he were to cut a deal with Lieberman, it would likely involve forcing a bold compromise between Lieberman and the religious parties.
- What are likely options for governing coalitions? Couldn’t Lieberman kiss and makeup, cut a deal, and join Netanyahu? If Lieberman joins a right-wing Netanyahu government, the coalition would be more aggressive against Iran and the terrorist organizations and might declare Israeli sovereignty over Judea and Samaria (the so-called West Bank), as well. However, if Netanyahu has to bring in a left-wing party instead of Lieberman, to make a majority coalition, there would be constant dissension within the coalition over those very same issues.
5. Tell us about the Trump Deal of the Century and the land annexation and the agreement to help the Palestinians?
Answer: The map looks a bit like a gerrymandered congressional district, and if a Palestinian state is created, it will create a serious security threat for Israelis who travel those roads. Having said that, the plan will not be accepted by the Palestinian Authority, because it demands that they stop paying salaries to the families of imprisoned terrorists, it demands that they accept Israel as the Jewish state, and it demands that they disarm. These are all reasonable demands to create a true atmosphere of peace, but they won’t accept it.
- Tell us about your book, “Trump and the Jews” and the parts that deal with what we’re seeing play out in the Israel election scene
- Where may we get a copy of your book?
Answer: They can go to Amazon.com and simply type in the words, “Trump and the Jews”.
Bio: David Rubin, former Mayor of Shiloh Israel, is the author of the book, “Trump and the Jews”. Rubin is the founder and president of Shiloh Israel Children’s Fund, established after he and his then three-year-old son were wounded in a terror attack. He can be found at www.DavidRubinIsrael.com or at http://www.ShilohIsraelChildren.org
