Israel PM Netanyahu accepts budget compromise
August 24, 2020
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced Sunday that he had accepted a compromise in the country's budget dispute, preventing the government from collapsing and avoiding another general election.
"This is a time for unity, not for elections," Netanyahu said in a nationally televised statement.
Netanyahu and his rival and coalition partner, Benny Gantz, have struggled to find common ground in the budget crisis.
The prime minister said he had accepted a proposal to extend negotiations to give both sides more time to reach a deal.
Netanyahu, head of the right-leaning Likud party, also called on Gantz, who leads the centrist Blue and White alliance, to "work towards common goals."
The two parties have clashed over a number of key issues, including judicial appointments and the annexation of West Bank settlements.
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Israel would have seen its fourth parliamentary election in less than two years had the deadline for the agreement — set for midnight on Monday— not been extended.
The compromise would give the sides 100 more days to come up with a budget agreement. It would also offer direct spending to struggling areas of the economy and society in the meantime.
Netanyahu said he felt it was wrong for the country to hold elections following the historic deal to establish official relations with the United Arab Emirates, and as Israel grapples with the coronavirus pandemic.
dvv/nm (AP, dpa)