Israeli Unity Government Faces First Test: to Annex or Not to Annex
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After three fiercely fought elections within a single yearlong period, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his political rival Benny Gantz agreed on little.
They waged bitterly personal campaigns—Mr. Netanyahu called Mr. Gantz, leader of the Blue and White party, unfit to lead while Mr. Gantz labeled Mr. Netanyahu, head of Likud, a corrupt leader…
Yet now both men are party to a unity government, with the top priorities being managing a public-health crisis stemming from the new coronavirus and beginning the contentious process of annexing parts of the Israeli-occupied West Bank. It is a perilous path for such a shaky political union.
Analysts say Mr. Netanyahu is eager to move forward with annexation, despite the political and security risks involved …
Under the coalition agreement between Mr. Netanyahu’s Likud and Mr. Gantz’s Blue and White parties, the government can only introduce legislation related to addressing the coronavirus or, after July 1, moving toward annexing parts of the West Bank. All unrelated legislation will require mutual consent from both camps during this first six-month emergency period.
The coalition agreement leaves aside other weighty issues, from public transportation on the Sabbath, conversion and marriage reform, and policies regarding the Palestinians that Messrs. Netanyahu and Gantz would struggle to tackle jointly.
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