National security adviser met Central Election Committee chief to prepare for delaying election in light of Gaza military operation
Israel's National Security Adviser Meir Ben-Shabbat met with the head of the Central Elections Committee to prepare him for the possibility of postponing the general election slated for Tuesday due to a military operation, Haaretz has learned.
Haaretz reported earlier Monday that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu aborted last week plans for an unusual military move in the Gaza Strip, which would likely have had far-reaching implications.
He did so at the last moment due to a legal opinion by Attorney General Avichai Mendelblit that the plan required the approval of the security cabinet.
Officials involved in the matter said in response to the report that the attorney general was the one who asked the senior adviser to update election board chief, Justice Hanan Melcer, about a possible escalation.
Officials involved in the matter said in response to the report that the attorney general was the one who asked the senior adviser to update election board chief, Justice Hanan Melcer, about a possible escalation.
This minor response to Islamic Jihad’s rocket launch at both Ashdod and Ashkelon stemmed in part from the fact that some of the senior defense officials present objected to Netanyahu’s plan. But a major reason for the decision was Mendelblit, who wasn’t present but participated in the discussion by phone.
Netanyahu did not respond to this report, but Foreign Minister Yisrael Katz called it "a complete lie."
Haaretz has learned that the discussions were so serious that Ben-Shabbat asked the head of Israel's Central Elections Committee to come to the security meeting.
At the meeting, Ben-Shabbat said Israel may launch a large-scale military operation that may force the delay of the election, and Melcer should be prepared for that possibility. According to Israeli law, only the Knesset may postpone an election with a special majority of 80 members. Such a delay occurred in the 8th Knesset when the Yom Kippur War caused a two-month delay.
As Haaretz reported, Netanyahu eventually aborted a plan for a significant retaliation.
In light of the report of Melcer and Ben-Shabbat's meeting, Benny Gantz said that "Netanyahu erased ambiguity for political means. Now he lost it, and wants to drag us into a war to postpone the elections." He added, "This is a script fit for House of Cards and not for the State of Israel." He called on the public to vote for his party and "put an end to this."
source: https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/elections/.premium-israel-was-prepar...