Yisrael Beytenu leader Avigdor Liberman slammed Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on social media on Friday evening, claiming that “for immunity, Netanyahu will sell everything to the haredim [ultra-Orthodox].”
While Netanyahu withdrew his request to gain immunity from the Knesset, it is still possible that he will attempt to pass a law granting a serving prime minister immunity. Known as "The French Law," such a bill would, if approved, defend him as long as he serves in office.
With some claiming a fourth round of elections is almost unavoidable, it is not unlikely Netanyahu will again serve as the leader of a care-taker government for months to come.
Blue and White leader Benny Gantz was also attacked by Liberman for sending the haredi parties, “a blank page with his name already signed” on it so they can dictate their demands.
“Only we prevented, twice, the formation of a Jewish-law-based state,” he wrote and that, “only we will pass laws that will enable public transportation to work on Shabbat and civic marriages.”
While in some central Israeli cities public transportation is already being offered, it is not a state-wide service, but rather one offered in places where non-religious Jews are a majority of the population such as Tel Aviv.
Civic marriages are technically impossible in Israel because Israeli law is based on the Ottoman ruling that people may only marry others of their own faith. Israelis can marry in other countries and have that marriage recognized here due to internationally binding agreements.
While some comments in response to the post were supportive, others blamed him for the third round of elections in March.
“Who would you like to serve as prime minister?” one man asked, adding: “you won’t be, so who will? Two times already there was no decision because you did not join Netanyahu or Gantz – and that wastes the greatest amount of [public] money.”