BICOM

Benny Gantz’s Blue and White Party will not propose a unilateral withdrawal from areas in the West Bank when it publishes its manifesto tomorrow.

The party’s manifesto will focus on security-diplomatic issues and will include support for a “united” Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, continued Israeli control over the Jordan Valley, and retaining settlement blocs in the West Bank, along with a willingness to enter negotiations with the Palestinians. The manifesto does not mention the two-state solution or a Palestinian state.

The party will support public transport on the Sabbath in secular cities and in other places that will not offend the religious and traditionally-observant sectors, as well as a promise to pass into legislation the surrogacy bill and ensure equal rights for the LGBT community — an issue that led to extensive criticism of the current government.

On the contentious Nation-State Law, the party will seek to implement legislation to entrench the right of Israel’s non-Jewish citizens, separate from the law itself or any amendment of it.

According to BICOM’s aggregate polling since the Attorney General’s announcement that he intends to indict the Prime Minister, pending a hearing, the Blue and White Party is predicted to win 37 seats, Likud 28.5 seats, New Right 6.5 seats, United Right 7.5 seats, Kulanu 4.5 seats, Shas 5.5 seats, UTJ 6.5 seats, Labour 6.5 seats, Meretz 6 seats, and Taal-Hadash 8 seats. Based on these numbers, both the Right and Centre-Left bloc would find it hard to form a majority government.

Prime Minister Netanyahu’s lawyers have reportedly said that they are confident that they will be able successfully defend him against the charges announced last week. Speaking about the more-serious allegation of bribery in Case 4000, the defence lawyers said that this was a precedent-setting case that was trying to set norms retroactively, something that had never been done in any country.

“Even without us having started to make our arguments, two-thirds of the bribery charges were dropped, despite the recommendations of the police and the State Attorney’s Office. This says everything about the quality of the cases and the allegations” said Netanyahu’s close associates.

State Attorney Shai Nitzan on Sunday rejected allegations of bias over the Attorney General’s decision to pursue corruption charges against Netanyahu. “The decisions were made solely out of professional considerations based on the evidence. The question of a suspect’s political identity doesn’t interest us and will never be considered by us,” Nitzan said at a conference in Haifa.

He added: “We will continue our work as we have so far, in an honest, professional, thorough and swift way. Until a final decision is made at the end of the hearing, nothing will deter us.” Likud MK Benny Begin called attacks on the Attorney General “an assassination attempt on the public’s faith in the law enforcement agencies”.