Lashing coalition deal, Ya’alon says Israel doesn’t deserve sacrifice of fallen

In searing criticism of Blue and White’s willingness to join a government led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, former party member Moshe Ya’alon said Monday, the eve of Israel’s Memorial Day, that the country was not worthy of the sacrifice of those who died under its flag.

“This year, we do not deserve the sacrifice of our fallen,” said Yesh Atid-Telem’s Ya’alon, a former IDF chief of staff and defense minister under Netanyahu, in a rebuke of Blue and White leader Benny Gantz.

Responding in a Tuesday morning interview with Channel 12, Gantz, also a former IDF chief, condemned Ya’alon’s remarks.

“This is a harsh statement that I do not accept. It would have been better had it not been said,” said Gantz.

“I do not intend to soil the holiness of Memorial Day with a political debate, no matter what they say,” he added.

Ya’alon, a former Likud minister who resigned from Netanyahu’s government in 2016, was referring to political developments that saw Gantz strike a coalition deal with Netanyahu last week.

Despite running on a campaign to oust Netanyahu from power, Gantz announced last month that he was prepared to join a government with the Likud leader after all — to battle the coronavirus and help protect Israeli democracy.

His move caused a split in his party, with former partners Yair Lapid and Ya’alon breaking away. Lapid is now set to lead the Knesset opposition.

Gantz’s Blue and White party told the High Court of Justice Tuesday that it believes Netanyahu should be able to serve as prime minister despite the criminal indictments against him, urging that petitions against him forming the next government be rejected.

Responding to a petition by the Movement for Quality Government claiming that the coalition agreement signed April 20 by Blue and White and Likud is unconstitutional, the centrist party said the deal, and the various contentious clauses in it, was necessary to prevent fourth elections.

Explaining the move, Gantz said Tuesday, “I understand the anger and suggest people look at the circumstances and look at the alternatives. I believe that a fourth election at this difficult time is not the right thing for the country. I intend to work for unity for everyone, even for those who are disappointed and disheartened.”

Under the terms of the deal struck last Monday — ending over a year of political deadlock during which Israel has not had a permanent government — Gantz will become prime minister in 18 months. Until then, he will serve as defense minister and have veto power over most legislative and policy matters.

Many have speculated that Netanyahu will not honor the rotation agreement that requires him to hand over power to Gantz in October 2021. Gantz, therefore, is working with Likud to pass a bill anchoring the necessary mechanism in the law, which involves changing one of Israel’s quasi-constitutional Basic Laws.