JERUSALEM－Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's chief governing partner on Tuesday said he would vote in favor of a proposal to dissolve their troubled coalition, accusing the Israeli leader of repeatedly breaking his promises and pushing the country to its fourth election in two years.

The announcement by Defense Minister Benny Gantz that he would vote in favor of a preliminary no-confidence measure on Wednesday did not immediately cause the government to collapse.

Rather, it served as a warning by Gantz, who also holds the title of alternate prime minister, that he has run out of patience with Netanyahu and is ready to break up their alliance if a long-overdue budget is not passed immediately.

A formal vote to dissolve the government could come as soon as next week, leaving the door open to last-minute negotiations.

"The only one who can prevent these elections is the one who decided to have them－Netanyahu," Gantz said in a nationally televised speech. "The burden of proof is on you."

Netanyahu's Likud Party and Gantz's Blue and White battled to a stalemate in three consecutive elections before agreeing in May to form their coalition.

Under the deal, Netanyahu is to serve as prime minister for the first 18 months before they trade places in November and make Gantz prime minister for another 18 months.

The two rivals agreed to the power-sharing deal with the stated aim of steering the country through the twin health and economic crises caused by the coronavirus.

But the government has been plagued by paralysis and infighting.

Hovering over the disagreements is Netanyahu's ongoing trial on corruption charges. Gantz accused Netanyahu of acting out concerns for his "personal survival "and working to thwart the legal process as the coronavirus rages and hundreds of thousands of Israelis remain out of work and families struggle to get by.

'No illusions'

In his address, Gantz said he'd had "no illusions" about Netanyahu when he formed the government. He accused Netanyahu of blocking key appointments, delaying legislation and claiming credit for the accomplishments of others.

"Netanyahu didn't lie to me. He lied to all of you," he added.

The biggest area of disagreement has been the failure to pass a budget. Their agreement called for passage of a budget by August. They then agreed to extend the deadline until Dec 23, but no progress has been made. A failure to reach a deal would cause the government to automatically collapse and trigger a new election.

Gantz, accusing Netanyahu of dragging out the talks for personal reasons, apparently does not want to wait that long.

Once the budget is complete, Netanyahu would be forced to commit to their rotation agreement next year and yield power to Gantz. But if the government collapses, Netanyahu would remain as leader throughout the three-month campaign and until a new coalition is formed.

Fearing a new election is inevitable, Gantz appears to have concluded that it would be best for the vote to take place as soon as possible, when Netanyahu's trial is underway.

Netanyahu has been charged with fraud, breach of trust and accepting bribes in a series of scandals in which he is accused of offering favors to wealthy media figures in exchange for positive news coverage about him and his family. The trial is expected to kick into high gear in February when a string of witnesses is scheduled to testify.

Agencies - Xinhua