TV: Hendel, Hauser aim to join coalition, which would give PM 61 right-wingers, marginalize Gantz

Blue and White MKs Zvi Hauser and Yoaz Hendel are planning to join Benny Gantz in a unity government led by Benjamin Netanyahu, Channel 12 reports.

According to the report, should the rightist lawmakers break off from the Telem faction within Blue and White and join a coalition, the government would have 61 lawmakers with right-wing views. (The 58 in the Likud, Yemina, Shas, United Torah Judaism bloc, plus Gesher’s Orly Levy-Abekasis and the two Telem MKs.) This means, it notes, that if Netanyahu seeks to advance annexation or other steps after the pandemic ends, Gantz would not be able to prevent it or break up the coalition.

As part of the negotiations, Netanyahu is seeking legislation saying that an acting prime minister under indictment can continue to serve, in order to ensure he can fill that role when his prime ministerial rotation with Gantz is slated to go into effect in the fall of 2021. Currently, ministers must resign if they face criminal charges, but the law does not explicitly refer to a prime minister.