"Israel's ongoing political crisis will continue as long as Netanyahu remains prime minister and a government cannot be formed without him," said Yohanan Plesner, head of the Israel Democracy Institute. Budget battleGantz has said he never trusted Netanyahu but wanted to spare Israelis a fourth election, especially amid the pandemic. Their three-year coalition deal had stipulated that Netanyahu serve as premier for the first 18 months, with Gantz taking over in November 2021. A survey by public broadcaster KAN predicted it could win 20 seats in the 120-member parliament, with Likud at 28. Gantz's former ally, Yair Lapid of the Yesh Atid, became the opposition leader in parliament, but voter surveys indicate Lapid would struggle to form a government.

Source: Dhaka Tribune December 23, 2020 13:30 UTC