Did Benny Gantz Sell Out?
Citing the severity of the coronavirus as his reason for compromising, Benny Gantz acquiesced to joining a Unity Government with his rival, Benjamin Netanyahu, who will serve a year and a half as PM before handing the reins to Gantz. The decision has enraged many of Gantz’ supporters, who see the move as a betrayal.
…doesn’t Benny Gantz, who so earnestly undertook from that Knesset speaker’s chair on Thursday to restore Israeli democracy, risk placing himself among the ranks of those who are weakening it?
There’s a corona epidemic. We need a government. There is no government other than one headed by Netanyahu. It’s good that Gantz is joining it.
A unity government is what Israelis want and need. In half a year, or a year, when things go back to normal, they might reconsider their position. But for now, when they are all preoccupied with a deadly virus, they have little patience for petty games of politics. So, for most of them, even those among them who can’t stand the PM, this is good news.