Israel: Netanyahu and Gantz sign power-sharing deal
April 20, 2020
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his rival Benny Gantz have signed an agreement to form an "emergency" government, their parties announced. This removes the need to hold a fourth election in roughly a year.
Image: Reuters/C. Kern/A. Cohen
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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his rival, Benny Gantz, announced that they signed a deal to form an "emergency" coalition government on Monday.
The deal between Netanyahu's conservative Likud Party and Gantz's centrist Blue and White Party ends a longstanding political deadlock, and means that Israelis won't have to hit the polls for the fourth national election in a year.
Terms of the agreement were not immediately announced in the joint statement issued by the parties, but local media said that it called for a three-year power-sharing deal, in which Gantz would take over for Netanyahu halfway through the three-year period.
"I promised the State of Israel a national emergency government that would work to save the lives and livelihoods of Israeli citiyen. I will continue to do everything for you citizens of Israel," Netanyahu said on Twitter soon after the deal was reached.
"We prevented a fourth election. We will maintain democracy. We will fight corona and take care of all Israeli citizens," Gantz wrote to his supporters.
Three deadlocks, then a pandemic
The country’s third election in a row ended with neither party securing enough votes to secure a viable coalition, but Gantz and Netanyahu later agreed to form an emergency government due to the coronavirus crisis.
The talks on an emergency coalition government prompted mass public protests, complete with social distancing, by opponents of Prime Minister NetanyahuImage: Reuters/C. Kern
Last week, the two parties missed a deadline to form a coalition. However, they were given more time to announce a deal as they claimed to be making "significant progress" in their negotiations. Had they not been able to come to an agreement, Israel would likely have had to face a fourth election.
Gantz had previously vowed not to serve in a government under Netanyahu, whose premiership has been mired in scandal following his indictment for bribery, fraud and breach of trust late last year.
However, the two agreed to emergency negotiations in the face of significant pressure to form a deal, so that the country could move forward with a more unified response to the coronavirus pandemic. Israel currently has over 13,600 confirmed cases and a death toll of 173.
Coronavirus in Gaza: Trying to avert disaster
What was long feared has now become reality — the COVID-19 pandemic has reached the closed-off Gaza Strip. It's a race against time to head off the outbreak and stop a catastrophe.
Image: picture-alliance/AP Photo/A. Hana
Fighting the coronavirus
Coronavirus has reached the Gaza Strip, one of the world's most densely populated areas. A dozen cases of COVID-19 have been officially confirmed. The coastal strip on the Mediterranean Sea is home to about 2 million people spread across 365 square kilometers (140 square miles) — roughly 6,000 people per square kilometer. As a precaution, workers have disinfected the streets in several areas.
Image: picture-alliance/ZUMAPRESS/A. Amra
Quarantine center in Rafah
After returning from abroad, more than 1,860 people have been divided up and sent to 26 makeshift quarantine facilities. One of those centers is located at the Rafah border crossing, but some people were also sent to converted schools for 21 days. The border crossings to Egypt and Israel have largely been closed since mid-March; only those returning home are allowed to enter the Gaza Strip.
Image: Reuters/WHO in the Occupied Palestinian Territories
Insufficient medical care
While some centers still have medical equipment, health care in the Gaza Strip is at a standstill. Only 63 ventilators and 78 intensive care beds are available for 2 million people. COGAT, the Israeli defense body responsible for Palestinian civilian issues, said it coordinated the delivery of over 1,500 testing swabs organized by the WHO. Calls to ease Israel's blockade are getting stronger.
Image: Reuters/WHO in the Occupied Palestinian Territories
Painted masks
The Health Ministry has declared a state of emergency. Palestinian artists Samah Saed (pictured) and Dorgam Krakeh are painting protective face masks in bright colors in a bid to encourage locals to wear them. If the measures by Islamist group Hamas, which rules the Gaza Strip, fail to contain the virus, the consequences could be disastrous.
Image: picture-alliance/AP Photo/A. Hana
Supply chain is crucial
A total lockdown would be fatal for people here. Around 75% of population is refugees, and all are dependent on the support of workers from the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), who still deliver food during the day. But in the evenings, residents must observe a curfew from 5 p.m. until early in the morning.
Image: Reuters/M. Salem
Educating young people
Public life has largely been restricted. However, social distancing and appropriate hygiene measures remain a challenge, especially in the narrow streets and shelters in the refugee camps. In order to educate Gaza's large young population, activists dress up as the virus and visit the refugee camps.
Image: picture-alliance/ZUMAPRESS/M. Ajjour
Help from Qatar
The Islamist group Hamas and Qatar maintain a close relationship, and the small emirate has promised to continue providing financial support for the people of Gaza. Last week, Qatar transferred $10 million (€9.25 million) to the Gaza Strip — exactly how remains unknown. Reportedly, every family in need will receive $100.
Image: picture-alliance/ZUMAPRESS/A. Amra
Stay home!
Medical facilities in Gaza will be able to treat the first 100 coronavirus cases, according to estimates from the local office of the World Health Organization. After that, the area would be reliant on external support. That is why activists and artists are trying to raise awareness about the importance of staying home.
Image: picture-alliance/ZUMAPRESS/M. Ajjour
Cake, campaigns and coronavirus
A bakery in Khan Younis is doing its bit to educate people, baking cakes with masks to draw attention to the pandemic.
