There are parliamentary solutions to keep the government intact until the completion of the hostage deal that do not involve joining the cabinet, National Unity chairman Benny Gantz said Thursday.
He did not elaborate, and his spokesperson did not respond to a query on the matter.
Gantz’s comment during a conference at Reichman University in Herzliya came in a response to claims that his promise to provide a “political security net” to the government was hollow, because it could not prevent the government from collapsing at the end of March if the 2025 budget is not passed by then.
Gantz could be the deciding factor regarding whether the hostage deal continues after its first phase ends in early March.
Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich (Religious Zionist Party) has threatened to leave the government in an effort to topple it if the IDF does not resume fighting in Gaza immediately after the first phase ends. By leaving the government, the coalition would lose its majority in the Knesset.
If Gantz, whose party has eight MKs, joins the government in Smotrich’s place, the coalition would have a majority.
Gantz joined the government four days after the October 7 massacre and remained until June 2024, when he resigned over what he claimed were political considerations that were influencing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s war decisions.
Since exiting the government, however, both Gantz and opposition leader Yair Lapid (Yesh Atid) have promised to provide a political security net to ensure that the hostage deal is completed. They have not elaborated about whether this would include joining the government or simply not supporting a bill to disperse the Knesset.