United with Israel

The deal averts what would have been a fourth consecutive election in just over a year as the country fights its coronavirus outbreak.

By AP

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Blue and White leader Benny Gantz announced Monday that they have forged a deal to form an “emergency” government, ending months of political paralysis.

The deal averts what would have been a fourth consecutive election in just over a year as the country fights its coronavirus outbreak.

According to the agreement, the three-year period has Netanyahu serving as prime minister for the first half, and Gantz taking the job for the second half.

After the last vote on March 2 ended in a stalemate, Netanyahu and former Chief of Staff Gantz agreed late last month to try to form a unity government because of the burgeoning coronavirus crisis. The talks have dragged on and stalled several times since, sparking concern that the collapse of a deal would force the country into new elections.

Although Netanyahu came up short in the last elections despite leading the party with the most seats, the coalition agreement returns the long-serving leader to the premiership, defying critics who predicted his downfall and restoring his reputation as a political wizard.

The deal likely required major compromise by both men. During three bitter campaigns over the past year, Gantz and his Blue and White party vowed never to serve in a government under Netanyahu so long as he faces a slew of corruption charges. Netanyahu, meanwhile, would likely be forced to step aside and allow Gantz to serve as prime minister for part of the time, if the coalition manages to survive long enough.

Last month’s election, just like the campaigns last September and April, ended with no clear winner. But with a slight majority of lawmakers endorsing him, Gantz was given the first shot at building a coalition government.

The glue holding together Gantz’s different backers was their shared animosity toward Netanyahu. The opposition leader had begun to move forward with legislation that would have disqualified the indicted Netanyahu from serving as prime minister in the future.

But with the virus crisis worsening, and his own shaky alliance fraying, Gantz made an about-face late last month and accepted an offer from Netanyahu to pursue a joint government to deal with the pandemic. The move drew heavy criticism from Gantz’s supporters and tore apart his Blue and White alliance, leaving him with a faction roughly half its original size.

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这项协议避免了一年多以来该国连续第四次举行选举，以应对冠状病毒的爆发。

美联社

总理内塔尼亚胡和蓝白领袖甘茨星期一宣布，他们已经达成协议，组成一个“紧急”政府，结束了长达数月的政治瘫痪。

这项协议避免了一年多以来该国连续第四次举行选举，以应对冠状病毒的爆发。

根据协议，内塔尼亚胡将在上半年担任总理，甘茨将在下半年担任总理。

在3月2日的最后一次投票陷入僵局后，内塔尼亚胡和前幕僚长甘茨上个月底同意，由于日新月异的冠状病毒危机，试图组建一个团结政府。自那以来，谈判已经拖了好几次，并陷入僵局，引发了人们对协议破裂将迫使该国进行新一轮选举的担忧。

尽管内塔尼亚胡在上一次选举中虽然以最多席位领导了该党，但最终未能如愿，但联合协议将这位长期任职的领导人重新回到了总理职位上，无视了那些预言他下台的批评者，并恢复了他作为政治奇才的声誉。

这项交易可能需要双方作出重大妥协。在过去一年的三次激烈竞选中，甘茨和他的蓝白党发誓，只要他面临一系列腐败指控，就永远不会在内塔尼亚胡领导的政府中任职。与此同时，内塔尼亚胡可能会被迫下台，允许甘茨担任总理的一部分时间，如果联合政府设法生存足够长的时间。

上个月的选举，就像去年9月和4月的竞选一样，没有明显的胜利者。不过，由于有少数议员支持甘茨，甘茨获得了建立联合政府的第一枪。

把甘茨不同支持者团结在一起的粘合剂是他们对内塔尼亚胡的共同仇恨。反对派领导人已经开始推进立法，这将取消被起诉的内塔尼亚胡今后担任总理的资格。

但随着病毒危机的恶化，以及他自己不稳固的联盟关系的破裂，甘茨上个月底做出了让步，并接受了内塔尼亚胡提出的寻求联合政府应对这一流行病的提议。此举招致甘茨支持者的强烈批评，并撕毁了他的蓝白联盟，留下了一个规模约为原来一半的派系。

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