![\"Gantz_Netanyahu.jpg\"](\"\/blog\/wp-content\/media\/images\/Gantz_Netanyahu.jpg\" "\\"Gantz_Netanyahu.jpg\\"")
\nIsraeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (L), with Israeli President (C), and Blue and White leader Benny Gantz.<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n
The Palestine Chronicle<\/p>\n
\nIsraeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (L), with Israeli President (C), and Blue and White leader Benny Gantz.<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n
Israeli politics has been thrown into even more turmoil with former General Benny Gantz\u2019s decision to leave the Blue and White bloc to join Benjamin Netanyahu in what has been called a \u201ccoronavirus government\u201d.<\/p>\n
The virus has taken hold in Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories. Netanyahu, meanwhile, faces trial on fraud and corruption charges.<\/p>\n
Israel’s Netanyahu, Gantz see \u2018significant progress\u2019 towards unity govt https:\/\/t.co\/F9PLwLj6vB<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/wuDoPTjran<\/a><\/i><\/p>\n \u2014 TheMalaysianInsight (@msianinsight) March 29, 2020<\/a><\/i><\/p>\n Netanyahu offered Gantz an immediate reward by ensuring his election as Speaker of the Knesset, Israel\u2019s parliament. He will also be Foreign Minister for 18 months before switching with Netanyahu and becoming Prime Minister.<\/p>\n His erstwhile allies in Blue and White, Yair Lapid and Moshe Ya\u2019alon, criticized Gantz, saying that he had surrendered to Netanyahu and could not handle the 14-month battle to topple the incumbent Prime Minister.<\/p>\n #Knesset<\/a> Speaker Resigns, #Israel<\/a>\u2019s Constitutional Crisis Deepens (VIDEO) https:\/\/t.co\/jwOYs8LvLD<\/a> via @PalestineChron<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/mo7Aw48RQK<\/a><\/i><\/p>\n \u2014 @palestinechron (@PalestineChron) March 25, 2020<\/a><\/i><\/p>\n According to the Hebrew-language media, the next Israeli government is Netanyahu\u2019s government, not a coalition. The main beneficiary of the coronavirus crisis is said to be the Prime Minister, who was able to defeat Gantz and drag him into a government under his leadership and thus, he hopes, to evade prosecution.<\/p>\n The media added that the so-called \u201ccoronavirus government\u201d represents a success for Netanyahu, with Gantz expecting to return the letter he had received from President Reuven Rivlin asking him to form a government; Rivlin will, in turn, ask Netanyahu to form a new administration.<\/p>\n The new government will be made up of the right-wing bloc of 58 Knesset members and the Israel Immunity Party with 15 MKs and the Benny Gantz party that split from Blue and White, which won 33 out of 120 seats in the election earlier this month.<\/p>\n Gantz Betrays Allies, Expected to Join Netanyahu in Unity Government https:\/\/t.co\/XdpyTGJC6r<\/a> via @PalestineChron<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/7YZMU8FYdf<\/a><\/i><\/p>\n