Israeli government falls, new elections in March

Israel's Parliament, Knesset, was automatically dissolved on December 23rd. Voters will go to the polls in March.

Netanyahu, against whom a corruption trial is under way, and his rival Benny Gantz blamed each other for the government's collapse.

After three sets of elections since April 2019, the right-wing Likud party, which leads Netanyahu and the centre's Blue and White of Gantz, established a unity government in May to respond to the health and economic crisis caused by the pandemic of the Coronavirus.

Under the deal, Gantz, who is defence minister, would take over the role of prime minister from Netanyahu in half of the four-year term in November 2021. Critics say Netanyahu had no intention of implementing the agreement.

The coalition has been dysfunctional from the start, driven by distrust, personal rivalry, and deep changes that only intensified over time.

The cause for the collapse of the government, the coalition agreement provisioning that the government should adopt a two-year budget for 2020 and 2021. Netanyahu, however, gave up this, putting pressure on the budget to be approved only for the current year.

The leader of Israel's longest service has faced protests against his leadership and treatment of pandemic.

Gantz dimmed his support early this year when he gave up a campaign promise never to share power with Netanyah.