Gantz expected to throw support behind budget delay as standoff deepens

Blue and White leader Benny Gantz is expected to announce in the next hour that he will back the delay of the state budget, averting elections, Hebrew media reports say.

But Gantz will not budge on the issue of judicial appointments. Netanyahu’s Likud is seeking to wrest greater control over the appointment of a state prosecutor and attorney general.

It is still unclear how Likud will vote on the budget delay, despite Netanyahu’s explicit backing for the measure in a Sunday press conference. If no vote is taken by midnight, the government automatically dissolves and Israel heads to its fourth election in under two years.

Likud MK Miki Zohar tells Channel 12 that he will recommend that Netanyahu back the postponement — but indicates the prime minister might yet change his mind and opt for elections.

“If the prime minister decides to go to elections, it will be a logical decision,” he says.