Blue and White meeting with finance minister ends with no deal

• Published date: 06 December 2020
• Author: GIL HOFFMAN
• Date: 06 December 2020
• Publication title: Jerusalem Post, The: Web Edition Articles (Israel)

The two leaders discussed the 2020 state budget, which legally must be passed by December 23, and the 2021 state budget, which Gantz has insisted on passing by December 31. Economy Minister Air Peretz, Tourism Minister Orit Farkash Hacohen and Aliyah and Integration Minister Pnina Tamano-Shata accompanied Gantz to the meeting.

Asked if progress was being made, one participant told The Jerusalem Post: "Not really."

The two-hour meeting ended without an agreement being reached. Gantz had warned in advance of the meeting that if he was not told the 2021 state budget would be passed immediately, Israel would go to elections.

"Another week has passed and the country still doesn't have a budget for 2021," Gantz lamented at Sunday's cabinet meeting. "Maybe we can hope for a Hanukkah miracle."

KAN TV quoted Gantz telling confidants in private conversations that his support for dispersing the Knesset was only intended to prevent elections, not advance them, and if an early election happened, it would be "accidental."

The Knesset House Committee will convene at 10:30 on Monday morning to debate the Knesset dispersal bill that was passed in a preliminary reading in the plenum on Wednesday. The Likud and Blue and White are expected to fight at the meeting over which committee will legislate the bill.

The bill is not expected to pass into law this week or next week.

KAN Radio reported that Blue and White MKs advised Gantz to wait until...