Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s chief rival has been chosen as the new speaker of parliament, in a step that could signal a power-sharing deal between the two men as the country grapples with a worsening coronavirus crisis.
The sudden turnabout by Benny Gantz, who has spent the past year trying to topple Netanyahu in three bitter and inconclusive elections, appeared to give the embattled prime minister a new lease on life as he prepares to go on trial for corruption charges.
It also drew angry criticism from his political partners, who accused him of betrayal, and ripped apart his Blue and White party, an alliance of three anti-Netanyahu factions.
The vote passed 74-18, with many of Gantz’s former allies, including half of Blue and White, skipping the vote.
“Democracy has won,” Gantz declared in his first speech as speaker, saying he had taken the unpopular step to deal with the national emergency.
“These are not regular days and they demand irregular decisions. Therefore as I said, I intend to examine and advance in every way the establishment of a national emergency government,” he said. “We will not compromise on the principles that more than 1 million citizens voted for. Netanyahu knows that well.”
Read the article by Osef Federman in The Canberra Times.