How Israeli Politics Have Been Affected by Coronavirus

CHRISTIANE AMANPOUR: So, let’s get to the political, now. Because as I mentioned, Benny Gantz, who’s now gone into an emergency unity government with Benjamin Netanyahu, and you and your party were part of the coalition to begin with, has basically said, you know, I would never do this, Netanyahu is not fit for public office. And now, he’s basically said, we prevented a fourth election, we will safeguard democracy. What is — what’s your reaction to that?

OFER SHELAH, HEAD OF KNESSET CORONAVIRUS COMMITTEE: Well, this, of course, caused the split up of Blue and White. We were never part of the coalition. We were a part of Blue and White. And this caused the division between us and Benny Gantz’s faction. The thing is this. We were very close to completing a political move that would have given us the advantage and be the end game, whatever anybody wanted. And definitely, the end game that Benny Gantz was apparently looking for was different than, for example, mine. But we were about to complete this move in the Knesset. And just as it was about to be completed, in my mind, the way I see it, Benny Gantz just caved in. And this is not a unity government, as you said in the beginning. Because he’s moving in with 15, 17, no more than that members of Knesset against a block that is close to 60. He’s not getting any positions that are crucial to the fight against the coronavirus as he stated was the reason for him to move into government. And most of important of all, his guaranteeing — this is not an emergency government, this guaranties Netanyahu, at least 18 more months as prime minister and 19 more months of some kind, I won’t get into the details of it, of basically of immunity. And being able to stand trial on the one hand and still continue to be a replacement prime minister and someone who holds the helm of Israel. And that, we couldn’t agree to. And that’s why Blue and White split. And we are apparently headed towards the opposition.

AMANPOUR: So, what — do you think that, you know, the sort of arrangement that’s been set out, will Netanyahu hand over, you know, rotate the prime ministership in 18 months, as has been laid out? Are you confident that that will happen?

SHELAH: I’m also confident that that will not happen. And this is the opinion, a poll just came out stating this is the opinion of most Israelis. They’re trying to pass — and I’m just coming here from the Knesset. I am going back to the Knesset, they’re trying to pass all kinds of intricate laws, which, you know, seem to be a change of Israel’s constitutional nature, only to create this artificial bond between two people who simply just don’t trust each other.