Netanyahu accepts compromise that postpones budget deadline, staves off elections

At the 11th hour, Netanyahu says he is accepting a compromise offer that will put off by 100 days the budget deadline, averting new elections.

In a televised statement to the press, he claims that this is needed in order to continue to address the coronavirus crisis.

“Out of a sense of national responsibility, I have tonight decided to accept the compromise proposal,” he says. “This proposal enables us to immediately inject money for the good of the Israeli people and the economy; it averts the need for elections.”

He begins his address by listing his recent accomplishments, saying, “We are in historic days. Our peace deal with the United Arab Emirates opens a new era of peace in the Middle East.”

Netanyahu notes that tomorrow he will meet US Secretary of State Pompeo in Jerusalem, and the two will “discuss peace with more nations,” which he predicts will come in the near future.

He credits these developments to his long-term “doctrine,” which he dubs, “peace for peace.”

“Peace has many fruits,” he says, citing economic benefits that he links to the coronavirus crisis.

The vote on the compromise deal — floated by Derech Eretz MK Zvi Hauser — is set to take place in the coming minutes in the Knesset Finance Committee; the proposal is then supposed to proceed to the full Knesset for final approval.

Netanyahu says avoiding elections is the right thing to do for the good of the country. He stresses the imperative to battle the pandemic, while also saying that Europe is suffering from a deeper recession and higher unemployment than Israel.