Breaking: Lapid-Bennett Coalition Splintering Over Platinum Guy Controversy(Tel Aviv) A long-awaited agreement that would hail in a new government to end Benjamin Netanyahu's record shattering stint as Israeli Prime Minister may have been short lived, after a tentative deal between his two opponents is teetering at the brink over a controversy pertaining to the political position of one bellicose MK.
According to reports, the argument began after Yesh Atid chairman Yair Lapid made clear his intention to include Knesset Member Platinum Guy, popularly known as PG, on his slate, and to give him the position of Health Minister. Lapid's partner in the endeavor, Yeminah Party chairman Naftali Bennett, called the inclusion of the highly controversial politician a "deal-breaker," and he threatened end talks.
"Including the Arab parties was something I would be able stomach," Bennett said during a nationally televised address. "But to put Platinum Guy at the helm of the Health Ministry, where he would be able to implement his Faucinian Covid measures - that would constitute a betrayal of my supporters."
Lapid maintained that PG would be an optimal candidate for the job, citing his experience with
public safety and his
strong oversight on Covid numbers, in addition to his cozy relationship with many American Democrats, which could be a ticket to better relationships with the sponsor country overseas. But Bennett refused to concede.
"I may be able to look away from some of his rhetoric," Bennett stressed. "But he dislikes Ben Shapiro. That ends the discussion. Period."
While many pundits see this development as an insurmountable challenge to the coalition, some see it as a political stunt. An anonymous political operative shared that this step is just an elaborate ploy to engage members of a PAC to which PG belongs, known by its acronyms DDF, to take a greater interest in Israeli politics, and thus steer the country in the proper direction with their collective prowess and tact. Neither Bennett nor Lapid were available to comment on this report.
(AP)
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