Hostilities in Gaza Escalate as Israeli Governing Coalition Remains Elusive

General Benny Gantz is currently tasked with forming a ruling coalition in the Knesset. (Flickr)

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) conducted an airstrike in the Gaza Strip that targeted a Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) commander on November 12, killing him and his family. In response, PIJ began launching rockets into Israel, which prompted the IDF to conduct further strikes in Gaza, targeting multiple sites controlled by the Hamas faction. The conflict comes as General Benny Gantz is tasked with forming a coalition government, which has led some to speculate that it was a strategic political move by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

The recent hostilities are casting a shadow over Gantz’s efforts to shore-up coalition support and replace Netenyahu as prime minister. The recent parliamentary elections were the second nationwide elections this year after Netanyahu failed to form a governing coalition following the first round of voting in April. The second round of elections weakened Netanyahu’s chance of forming a coalition, with his Likud party winning 32 seats to 33 for Gantz’s Blue and White party. Still, President Reuven Rivlin, who himself is a Likud member, granted Netanyahu the privilege of attempting to form a government first. However, Netanyahu was unsuccessful. The mandate then passed to Gantz, who has been working at forming a governing coalition since October 23. 

Gantz called for a meeting late November 16 with Rivlin, four days before the end of the 28-day period granted to him to try to form a governing coalition. Rivlin, who met with the leaders of minority parties that won seats in the Knesset, Israel’s legislature, on November 18, is hoping to avoid a third election. 

Rivlin has suggested to Gantz and Netanyahu that they form a coalition government between Likud and Blue and White. This would result in Netanyahu serving as prime minister until an indictment is filed, at which point Gantz would replace him while he faces criminal charges. Likud members have openly supported such an agreement, but Blue and White has not signed onto it yet out of a lack of clarity around when Netanyahu would be unable to govern. Gantz and his allies argue that this would occur immediately upon Netanyahu’s indictment, which is expected to be announced on November 19. Netanyahu and his supporters argue that this would not incapacitate him and that he could serve until his trial begins around mid-2020. Rivlin has tried to suggest as a compromise that Netanyahu would step down when the indictment is submitted to the courts, but this still would likely take months. 

A meeting between Netanyahu and Gantz on November 12, described as a “security update,” further fueled speculation that the two will form a unity government. Gantz announced his support for Israel’s operations in Gaza, leading former army spokesperson Avi Benayahu to say that the events surrounding the IDF operation and this security meeting were “concentrated baking powder for a national unity government.”