Israel appears headed toward early elections
3 Dec 2014 11:03 PM GMT
Two members of the centrist Yesh Atid party — currently a member of Netanyahu’s coalition — warned the vote would come at a particularly difficult time. Israeli media said the most likely date for any early election would be sometime in March.
The late Monday meeting between Netanyahu and Yesh Atid’s leader Yair Lapid followed weeks of sparring between the sides over budget provisions, including an increase for the ministry of defense, and Yesh Atid’s opposition to the current version of a contentious bill that would enshrine Israel’s status as a Jewish state.
Netanyahu has “decided to take Israel to unnecessary elections last night,” Lapid told an economic conference on Tuesday, adding that despite Israel’s 50-day war with Hamas militants over the summer, its problems with a highly militarized Gaza Strip still remain.
Lapid has also said he believes that Netanyahu has veered too far to the right by pushing Jewish settlement in east Jerusalem and the West Bank, and failing to advance the peace process with the Palestinians. “Netanyahu has chosen to go to elections when the situation is particularly difficult,” said Yesh Atid’s Yaacov Peri, the science minister. “There is a crisis with the US and the condition of the middle class is deteriorating.” However, Netanyahu can still fill out the remainder of his two-year term even without the support of Yesh Atid.
The late Monday meeting between Netanyahu and Yesh Atid’s leader Yair Lapid followed weeks of sparring between the sides over budget provisions, including an increase for the ministry of defense, and Yesh Atid’s opposition to the current version of a contentious bill that would enshrine Israel’s status as a Jewish state.
Netanyahu has “decided to take Israel to unnecessary elections last night,” Lapid told an economic conference on Tuesday, adding that despite Israel’s 50-day war with Hamas militants over the summer, its problems with a highly militarized Gaza Strip still remain.
Lapid has also said he believes that Netanyahu has veered too far to the right by pushing Jewish settlement in east Jerusalem and the West Bank, and failing to advance the peace process with the Palestinians. “Netanyahu has chosen to go to elections when the situation is particularly difficult,” said Yesh Atid’s Yaacov Peri, the science minister. “There is a crisis with the US and the condition of the middle class is deteriorating.” However, Netanyahu can still fill out the remainder of his two-year term even without the support of Yesh Atid.
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