Five weeks away and no budget in site

Legislation reportedly being considered to push off deadline for budget and prevent automatic elections

By JEREMY SHARON
PRIME MINISTER Benjamin Netanyahu and Blue and White Party leader Benny Gantz pass each other in the Knesset last year. (photo credit: YONATAN SINDEL/FLASH90)
PRIME MINISTER Benjamin Netanyahu and Blue and White Party leader Benny Gantz pass each other in the Knesset last year.
(photo credit: YONATAN SINDEL/FLASH90)
With just five weeks left to pass the state budget before the Knesset is automatically dissolved and elections are called, committee hearings are yet to begin and the government is far from being ready to pass any kind of budget.
The state budget typically takes around a month and a half to prepare and pass, first through numerous hearings in the Knesset Finance Committee, and then in the Knesset plenum.
But the commencement of those hearings is being held up by an ongoing dispute between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Alternate Prime Minister Benny Gantz over whether to pass a one year or two year budget.
Although the coalition agreement between Blue and White and Likud clearly states that a two year budget must be passed, Netanyahu is insisting on a one-year budget, which would in practice cover just the last four months of 2020, saying that it is impossible to determine the needs for 2021 at this stage.
But a one year budget would also mean that a new budget for 2021 would have to be passed by  March 31, 2021 at the very latest, with failure to do so again leading automatically to elections. 
And crucially, the law passed by the Knesset establishing the unique terms of the current unity government would under certain circumstances allow Netanyahu to remain in office after elections were called and not hand over to Gantz.
According to a Channel 12 report on Monday, both Netanyahu and Gantz see this budget issue as critical to their political careers.
Gantz believes that if he never gets the opportunity to become prime minister, as supposedly guaranteed in the Knesset law that paved the way for this government, he will be politically buried in the next election.
And Netanyahu is fearful of entering an election without the authority and power of the premiership.
Therefore, if he can get a one year budget passed now, he could go to elections in 2021 and remain prime minister in so doing without ever conceding power to his rival.
If a one year budget were to be agreed upon, it would still be possible, just, to pass it before the August 25 deadline.
If, as Blue and White is still insisting, a two year budget be passed, then it would be virtually impossible to conduct the budget process before the deadline.
One solution is for the government to pass a law extending the deadline for the budget beyond August 25.
Indeed, Kan News reported on Tuesday night that such legislation is now being considered by Likud and Blue and White.