Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has called for a ‘national unity government’ with the Blue and White Party led by opposition leader Benny Gantz to deal with the Chinese coronavirus epidemic. Israel has been experiencing a political crisis as three national elections have failed to provide an opportunity to form a coalition government as of yet.
National unity refers to a type of government formed by a group of parties, generally during times of emergency. These governments are said to be unified by a love of country rather than by political affiliation, writes Reference.com.
In times of national emergency, such as war or a severe economic crisis, political parties may put aside their differences and cooperate to further the best interests of the country. In these situations, no single party is given majority or recognized as the leading party. Though the parties may have opposing values or ideals, they are united by a common interest in the well-being of the country.
The two sides also disagreed about what parties should be in such a government. Gantz said all eight parties that will be in the next Knesset that will be sworn in on Monday. Netanyahu ruled out the Joint List of Arab parties, reported The Jerusalem Post.
“Terror supporters cannot be part of the government, not in normal times or in an emergency,” Netanyahu told Gantz, according to the Likud.
At a press conference in Jerusalem, he called for “putting politics aside” and “focusing only on the health and the lives of the citizens of Israel.”
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