FRESH AIR
In Israel, national unity government agreement seems imminent
Apr 3, 2020 | Ahron Shapiro
As the weekend approaches, Israeli media reports that an agreement on a broad national unity government is imminent, to be finalised perhaps as soon as later today.
According to this morning’s Yediot Aharonot newspaper, the agreement would see the formation of a government comprised of 78 members of the hundred and twenty-seat Knesset.
This government would be composed of Binyamin Netanyahu’s Likud party, a little over half of Benny Gantz’s original Blue and White centre-left party, and the ultra-orthodox parties.
On the right, it would also include the Yemina party, and, from the left, three members of the Labor and Gesher parties.
Making up the opposition would be the mostly-Arab Joint List party, the secular and right-wing Yisrael Beitenu party and the secular and centrist Yesh Atid and Telem parties, formerly of Blue and White. Yesh Atid’s leader Yair Lapid would serve as Opposition Leader.
Under the proposed agreement, Netanyahu would serve as prime minister for the first part of the government’s term, while Gantz would be Defence Minister and Deputy Prime Minister. After 18 months, Netanyahu would step down and Gantz would become Prime Minister.
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Tags: Israel
