Netanyahu’s office denies he called Gantz unfit to be prime minister
Both Likud, Blue and White say fate of current gov’t to be decided this week
By GIL HOFFMANPrime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Alternate Prime Minister Benny Gantz vote for the budget deadline extension bill(photo credit: KNESSET SPOKESPERSON/YEHONATAN SAMIYEH)
Sources close to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu denied quotes over the weekend attributed to Netanyahu that were very critical of Alternate Prime Minister Benny Gantz.“Over the last few days, Netanyahu has been telling confidants that giving the premiership to Gantz would be reckless abandonment of the country,” Mati Tuchfeld, the political analyst of the pro-Netanyahu newspaper Israel Hayom reported. “He believes Gantz is unprepared and unfit to be prime minister at this time.”Another analyst considered pro-Netanyahu, Akiva Novick, told KAN 11 on Friday that Netanyahu said in private conversations that “the appointment of Gantz as prime minister would be dangerous to security, because he is unfit for the post.”A source close to Netanyahu called the reports “fake news” and “ridiculous,” and said, “These words were not said.”According to the coalition agreement signed by Netanyahu and Gantz, there is supposed to be a rotation in the Prime Minister’s Office one year from Tuesday.Sources in both Blue and White and Likud said they expected the fate of the current government to be decided this week. Channel 12 reported on Saturday night that contacts had begun between the two parties on resolving their dispute over the 2021 state budget.A source close to Gantz said, “There is no point in responding [to Netanyahu’s reported quotes about Gantz], because election campaigns have begun.”Three weeks ago, Gantz said in an interview that the last possible date for a compromise on the budget was the third week of November. Asked if that deadline was still accurate, a source close to Gantz said: “The time to pass the budget is ending, and because of that we are getting closer to elections.”Blue and White Minister Alon Schuster warned on Saturday night that “the prime minister is dragging a tormented nation to elections at an absolutely intolerable time.“Instead of stabilizing his government by passing a budget for the coming year, he is speaking rudely about his alternate prime minister, who is a responsible and experienced leader,” he said.
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