Netanyahu, Gantz announce Israeli 'national emergency government'

(Image credit: Amir Levy/Getty Images)

published 20 April 2020

After three elections within the last year, Israel finally has a government.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the leader of the conservative Likud Party, has struck a deal with his political rival and chief challenger Benny Gantz, who heads the center-right Blue and White faction.

In a joint statement, the two said they reached "an agreement for the establishment of a national emergency government." The exact terms haven't been announced yet, but reports from Israel suggest it's a three year deal, in which Netanyahu and Gantz will serve as prime minister for the first and second half of that span, respectively.

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A coalition between the two parties was long seen as the clearest path to avoiding a fourth election, but there were numerous obstacles, including Gantz's past refusal to forge a unity government under Netanyahu's leadership while he was under indictment for corruption. But it appears the efforts to solve the gridlock was expedited in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic.

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Tim is a staff writer at The Week and has contributed to Bedford and Bowery and The New York Transatlantic. He is a graduate of Occidental College and NYU's journalism school. Tim enjoys writing about baseball, Europe, and extinct megafauna. He lives in New York City.