Sunday cabinet meeting to go forward, further allaying fears of gov’t collapse

The Knesset releases an agenda for a Sunday cabinet meeting, indicating the weekly discussion will go forward, after reports earlier said it would be canceled due to infighting between the Likud and Blue and White parties.

Last week’s cabinet meeting was canceled when the two parties failed to agree on an agenda, in a sign of major strife within the governing coalition.

Prime Minister Netanyahu’s Likud and Defense Minister Gantz’s Blue and White have been at an impasse over that state budget that has threatened to topple the coalition and send Israel to a fourth national vote in under two years.

According to the agenda, the cabinet will discuss via video conference economic legislation and aid to hotels that have been battered by the pandemic.

The Kan public broadcaster reports that Blue and White and Likud agreed to hold the weekly meeting, but only to discuss coronavirus policy, and to continue hashing out their disagreements in the coming week.

Finance Minister Israel Katz of Likud said earlier that “the threat of elections has passed,” and that the parties were close to reaching a compromise.

A Friday Channel 12 report said the two factions were inching toward a compromise on the budget and other issues.