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| Benny Gantz, Breaking Vows, Says He Would Serve Under Netanyahu | Benny Gantz, Breaking Vows, Says He Would Serve Under Netanyahu |
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| JERUSALEM — Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel was set to hold onto power after his chief rival, Benny Gantz, reversed himself Thursday and signaled that he would be open to serving in a Netanyahu-led government. | JERUSALEM — Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel was set to hold onto power after his chief rival, Benny Gantz, reversed himself Thursday and signaled that he would be open to serving in a Netanyahu-led government. |
| Mr. Gantz, a former Israeli army chief who had vowed to bring Mr. Netanyahu’s long rule to an end and fought him to a draw in three elections, said he was changing course to help bring the country together to fight the coronavirus pandemic. | Mr. Gantz, a former Israeli army chief who had vowed to bring Mr. Netanyahu’s long rule to an end and fought him to a draw in three elections, said he was changing course to help bring the country together to fight the coronavirus pandemic. |
| “These are unusual times and they call for unusual decisions,” Mr. Gantz said in a speech to Parliament on Thursday. | “These are unusual times and they call for unusual decisions,” Mr. Gantz said in a speech to Parliament on Thursday. |
| “This is not the time for infighting and mudslinging,” he said. “This is not the time for controversy and divisions. This is the time for responsible, committed, patriotic leadership. Let’s join hands and get Israel out of this crisis.” | “This is not the time for infighting and mudslinging,” he said. “This is not the time for controversy and divisions. This is the time for responsible, committed, patriotic leadership. Let’s join hands and get Israel out of this crisis.” |
| The move was a 180-degree reversal for Mr. Gantz and broke countless campaign promises. Mr. Netanyahu has been indicted on criminal corruption charges and Mr. Gantz had vowed not to serve in a government led by a prime minister under indictment. | The move was a 180-degree reversal for Mr. Gantz and broke countless campaign promises. Mr. Netanyahu has been indicted on criminal corruption charges and Mr. Gantz had vowed not to serve in a government led by a prime minister under indictment. |
| For Mr. Netanyahu, the country’s longest-serving prime minister, it was only the freshest evidence of why many Israelis consider him a political genius who, despite the obstacles, can never be counted out. | For Mr. Netanyahu, the country’s longest-serving prime minister, it was only the freshest evidence of why many Israelis consider him a political genius who, despite the obstacles, can never be counted out. |
| By turns ridiculing Mr. Gantz and appealing to his statesmanlike instincts, questioning his mental health and badgering him to prove his patriotism, Mr. Netanyahu appeared to have co-opted Mr. Gantz into delivering him a record fourth straight term. | By turns ridiculing Mr. Gantz and appealing to his statesmanlike instincts, questioning his mental health and badgering him to prove his patriotism, Mr. Netanyahu appeared to have co-opted Mr. Gantz into delivering him a record fourth straight term. |
| Mr. Gantz said that he would “explore the formation of a national emergency government” because of the coronavirus, which has claimed eight lives in Israel, infected thousands and devastated the country’s economy. | Mr. Gantz said that he would “explore the formation of a national emergency government” because of the coronavirus, which has claimed eight lives in Israel, infected thousands and devastated the country’s economy. |
| His decision immediately led to the breakup of his centrist Blue and White party. | His decision immediately led to the breakup of his centrist Blue and White party. |
| Some analysts said that he may also have doomed his own political future as a credible alternative to Mr. Netanyahu, but others said a unity government would offer Mr. Gantz his best chance at taking over as prime minister at some point in the future. | Some analysts said that he may also have doomed his own political future as a credible alternative to Mr. Netanyahu, but others said a unity government would offer Mr. Gantz his best chance at taking over as prime minister at some point in the future. |
| The shape of a new government and Mr. Gantz’s role in it were not immediately clear on Thursday. In an interim move, Mr. Gantz nominated himself for the position of Parliament speaker — acquiescing to a demand by Mr. Netanyahu not to put forward an ally whom Mr. Netanyahu found objectionable — and was voted into that position on Thursday evening. | The shape of a new government and Mr. Gantz’s role in it were not immediately clear on Thursday. In an interim move, Mr. Gantz nominated himself for the position of Parliament speaker — acquiescing to a demand by Mr. Netanyahu not to put forward an ally whom Mr. Netanyahu found objectionable — and was voted into that position on Thursday evening. |
| Mr. Netanyahu had been urging Mr. Gantz to join forces with him to fight the coronavirus crisis after the most recent election, on March 2, left neither of them in a position to form a majority government. | Mr. Netanyahu had been urging Mr. Gantz to join forces with him to fight the coronavirus crisis after the most recent election, on March 2, left neither of them in a position to form a majority government. |
| Thursday’s dizzying turn of events was the latest twist in a political and constitutional crisis that has played out in the shadow of the epidemic. | Thursday’s dizzying turn of events was the latest twist in a political and constitutional crisis that has played out in the shadow of the epidemic. |
| With Israel divided between center-left voters desperate for Mr. Netanyahu to leave the stage and those on the right who cannot imagine another leader, the country has been deadlocked for more than a year, unable to enact budgets or make pressing decisions until it can resolve the question of its leadership. | With Israel divided between center-left voters desperate for Mr. Netanyahu to leave the stage and those on the right who cannot imagine another leader, the country has been deadlocked for more than a year, unable to enact budgets or make pressing decisions until it can resolve the question of its leadership. |
| Mr. Netanyahu has refused to step aside while he defends himself against bribery, fraud and other corruption charges, becoming the first sitting Israeli leader to be indicted and face a criminal trial. His resort in recent days to rule by emergency ordinances, including shutting down the courts, raised alarms about the future of Israeli democracy. | Mr. Netanyahu has refused to step aside while he defends himself against bribery, fraud and other corruption charges, becoming the first sitting Israeli leader to be indicted and face a criminal trial. His resort in recent days to rule by emergency ordinances, including shutting down the courts, raised alarms about the future of Israeli democracy. |
| Mr. Gantz and the left-wing, right-wing and Arab parties who rallied behind him won a slim majority of 61 seats in the 120-seat Parliament in the March election. With little in common but their enmity for Mr. Netanyahu, they were too diverse to sit together in a government. | Mr. Gantz and the left-wing, right-wing and Arab parties who rallied behind him won a slim majority of 61 seats in the 120-seat Parliament in the March election. With little in common but their enmity for Mr. Netanyahu, they were too diverse to sit together in a government. |
| But they had been planning to cooperate to push through legislation to stop Mr. Netanyahu from securing a fifth term, by enacting term limits or by barring an indicted lawmaker from forming a government. | But they had been planning to cooperate to push through legislation to stop Mr. Netanyahu from securing a fifth term, by enacting term limits or by barring an indicted lawmaker from forming a government. |
| In the end, however, Mr. Netanyahu’s almost nightly appeals to Mr. Gantz to join him — during televised addresses about the country’s response to the virus — appeared to wear down Mr. Gantz’s resolve. | In the end, however, Mr. Netanyahu’s almost nightly appeals to Mr. Gantz to join him — during televised addresses about the country’s response to the virus — appeared to wear down Mr. Gantz’s resolve. |
| Mr. Netanyahu has proposed a three-year government in which he would stay on as prime minister for the next 18 months and Mr. Gantz would take over for the next 18. Alternatively, Mr. Netanyahu has floated the idea of a temporary emergency government for the next six months under his leadership, to be followed either by a new deal for a unity government or a fourth election. | Mr. Netanyahu has proposed a three-year government in which he would stay on as prime minister for the next 18 months and Mr. Gantz would take over for the next 18. Alternatively, Mr. Netanyahu has floated the idea of a temporary emergency government for the next six months under his leadership, to be followed either by a new deal for a unity government or a fourth election. |
| Mr. Gantz did not say on Thursday whether he supported either of these proposals. | Mr. Gantz did not say on Thursday whether he supported either of these proposals. |
| Thursday’s endgame was particularly head-spinning, even for the hurly-burly of Israeli politics. | Thursday’s endgame was particularly head-spinning, even for the hurly-burly of Israeli politics. |
| Mr. Gantz went from petitioning the Supreme Court on Wednesday to censure the previous speaker, Yuli Edelstein — a Netanyahu ally who resigned rather than allow the election of a new speaker — to accepting Mr. Edelstein’s support in the Thursday vote that elected Mr. Gantz as speaker. | Mr. Gantz went from petitioning the Supreme Court on Wednesday to censure the previous speaker, Yuli Edelstein — a Netanyahu ally who resigned rather than allow the election of a new speaker — to accepting Mr. Edelstein’s support in the Thursday vote that elected Mr. Gantz as speaker. |
| Mr. Netanyahu’s conservative Likud party had issued an ultimatum that if Blue and White nominated its original candidate for speaker, Meir Cohen, that would spell the end of unity talks. Mr. Cohen had been expected to advance legislation blocking Mr. Netanyahu from serving another term. | Mr. Netanyahu’s conservative Likud party had issued an ultimatum that if Blue and White nominated its original candidate for speaker, Meir Cohen, that would spell the end of unity talks. Mr. Cohen had been expected to advance legislation blocking Mr. Netanyahu from serving another term. |
| Mr. Gantz’s acquiescence to that demand — by nominating himself instead — prompted howls of denunciation in Parliament from his partners in the center and left. They said that Mr. Gantz had dashed the hopes of his voters to end Mr. Netanyahu’s career and betrayed his own countless campaign promises never to serve under an indicted prime minister, all over an empty threat. | Mr. Gantz’s acquiescence to that demand — by nominating himself instead — prompted howls of denunciation in Parliament from his partners in the center and left. They said that Mr. Gantz had dashed the hopes of his voters to end Mr. Netanyahu’s career and betrayed his own countless campaign promises never to serve under an indicted prime minister, all over an empty threat. |
| Ahmed Tibi, a lawmaker from the predominantly Arab Joint List and a medical doctor, declared that Mr. Gantz was suffering the “virus of surrender.” | Ahmed Tibi, a lawmaker from the predominantly Arab Joint List and a medical doctor, declared that Mr. Gantz was suffering the “virus of surrender.” |
| Nitzan Horowitz, leader of the left-wing Meretz party, said that Mr. Gantz’s joining Mr. Netanyahu’s government “is to spit in the face and betray the voters of Blue and White and the entire center-left bloc.” | Nitzan Horowitz, leader of the left-wing Meretz party, said that Mr. Gantz’s joining Mr. Netanyahu’s government “is to spit in the face and betray the voters of Blue and White and the entire center-left bloc.” |
| Many Israelis, however, thought Mr. Gantz took the high road in light of the public-health emergency. | Many Israelis, however, thought Mr. Gantz took the high road in light of the public-health emergency. |
| Updated June 5, 2020 | Updated June 5, 2020 |
| So far, the evidence seems to show it does. A widely cited paper published in April suggests that people are most infectious about two days before the onset of coronavirus symptoms and estimated that 44 percent of new infections were a result of transmission from people who were not yet showing symptoms. Recently, a top expert at the World Health Organization stated that transmission of the coronavirus by people who did not have symptoms was “very rare,” but she later walked back that statement. | |
| A study by European scientists is the first to document a strong statistical link between genetic variations and Covid-19, the illness caused by the coronavirus. Having Type A blood was linked to a 50 percent increase in the likelihood that a patient would need to get oxygen or to go on a ventilator, according to the new study. | A study by European scientists is the first to document a strong statistical link between genetic variations and Covid-19, the illness caused by the coronavirus. Having Type A blood was linked to a 50 percent increase in the likelihood that a patient would need to get oxygen or to go on a ventilator, according to the new study. |
| The unemployment rate fell to 13.3 percent in May, the Labor Department said on June 5, an unexpected improvement in the nation’s job market as hiring rebounded faster than economists expected. Economists had forecast the unemployment rate to increase to as much as 20 percent, after it hit 14.7 percent in April, which was the highest since the government began keeping official statistics after World War II. But the unemployment rate dipped instead, with employers adding 2.5 million jobs, after more than 20 million jobs were lost in April. | The unemployment rate fell to 13.3 percent in May, the Labor Department said on June 5, an unexpected improvement in the nation’s job market as hiring rebounded faster than economists expected. Economists had forecast the unemployment rate to increase to as much as 20 percent, after it hit 14.7 percent in April, which was the highest since the government began keeping official statistics after World War II. But the unemployment rate dipped instead, with employers adding 2.5 million jobs, after more than 20 million jobs were lost in April. |
| Mass protests against police brutality that have brought thousands of people onto the streets in cities across America are raising the specter of new coronavirus outbreaks, prompting political leaders, physicians and public health experts to warn that the crowds could cause a surge in cases. While many political leaders affirmed the right of protesters to express themselves, they urged the demonstrators to wear face masks and maintain social distancing, both to protect themselves and to prevent further community spread of the virus. Some infectious disease experts were reassured by the fact that the protests were held outdoors, saying the open air settings could mitigate the risk of transmission. | Mass protests against police brutality that have brought thousands of people onto the streets in cities across America are raising the specter of new coronavirus outbreaks, prompting political leaders, physicians and public health experts to warn that the crowds could cause a surge in cases. While many political leaders affirmed the right of protesters to express themselves, they urged the demonstrators to wear face masks and maintain social distancing, both to protect themselves and to prevent further community spread of the virus. Some infectious disease experts were reassured by the fact that the protests were held outdoors, saying the open air settings could mitigate the risk of transmission. |
| Exercise researchers and physicians have some blunt advice for those of us aiming to return to regular exercise now: Start slowly and then rev up your workouts, also slowly. American adults tended to be about 12 percent less active after the stay-at-home mandates began in March than they were in January. But there are steps you can take to ease your way back into regular exercise safely. First, “start at no more than 50 percent of the exercise you were doing before Covid,” says Dr. Monica Rho, the chief of musculoskeletal medicine at the Shirley Ryan AbilityLab in Chicago. Thread in some preparatory squats, too, she advises. “When you haven’t been exercising, you lose muscle mass.” Expect some muscle twinges after these preliminary, post-lockdown sessions, especially a day or two later. But sudden or increasing pain during exercise is a clarion call to stop and return home. | Exercise researchers and physicians have some blunt advice for those of us aiming to return to regular exercise now: Start slowly and then rev up your workouts, also slowly. American adults tended to be about 12 percent less active after the stay-at-home mandates began in March than they were in January. But there are steps you can take to ease your way back into regular exercise safely. First, “start at no more than 50 percent of the exercise you were doing before Covid,” says Dr. Monica Rho, the chief of musculoskeletal medicine at the Shirley Ryan AbilityLab in Chicago. Thread in some preparatory squats, too, she advises. “When you haven’t been exercising, you lose muscle mass.” Expect some muscle twinges after these preliminary, post-lockdown sessions, especially a day or two later. But sudden or increasing pain during exercise is a clarion call to stop and return home. |
| States are reopening bit by bit. This means that more public spaces are available for use and more and more businesses are being allowed to open again. The federal government is largely leaving the decision up to states, and some state leaders are leaving the decision up to local authorities. Even if you aren’t being told to stay at home, it’s still a good idea to limit trips outside and your interaction with other people. | States are reopening bit by bit. This means that more public spaces are available for use and more and more businesses are being allowed to open again. The federal government is largely leaving the decision up to states, and some state leaders are leaving the decision up to local authorities. Even if you aren’t being told to stay at home, it’s still a good idea to limit trips outside and your interaction with other people. |
| Touching contaminated objects and then infecting ourselves with the germs is not typically how the virus spreads. But it can happen. A number of studies of flu, rhinovirus, coronavirus and other microbes have shown that respiratory illnesses, including the new coronavirus, can spread by touching contaminated surfaces, particularly in places like day care centers, offices and hospitals. But a long chain of events has to happen for the disease to spread that way. The best way to protect yourself from coronavirus — whether it’s surface transmission or close human contact — is still social distancing, washing your hands, not touching your face and wearing masks. | Touching contaminated objects and then infecting ourselves with the germs is not typically how the virus spreads. But it can happen. A number of studies of flu, rhinovirus, coronavirus and other microbes have shown that respiratory illnesses, including the new coronavirus, can spread by touching contaminated surfaces, particularly in places like day care centers, offices and hospitals. But a long chain of events has to happen for the disease to spread that way. The best way to protect yourself from coronavirus — whether it’s surface transmission or close human contact — is still social distancing, washing your hands, not touching your face and wearing masks. |
| Common symptoms include fever, a dry cough, fatigue and difficulty breathing or shortness of breath. Some of these symptoms overlap with those of the flu, making detection difficult, but runny noses and stuffy sinuses are less common. The C.D.C. has also added chills, muscle pain, sore throat, headache and a new loss of the sense of taste or smell as symptoms to look out for. Most people fall ill five to seven days after exposure, but symptoms may appear in as few as two days or as many as 14 days. | Common symptoms include fever, a dry cough, fatigue and difficulty breathing or shortness of breath. Some of these symptoms overlap with those of the flu, making detection difficult, but runny noses and stuffy sinuses are less common. The C.D.C. has also added chills, muscle pain, sore throat, headache and a new loss of the sense of taste or smell as symptoms to look out for. Most people fall ill five to seven days after exposure, but symptoms may appear in as few as two days or as many as 14 days. |
| If air travel is unavoidable, there are some steps you can take to protect yourself. Most important: Wash your hands often, and stop touching your face. If possible, choose a window seat. A study from Emory University found that during flu season, the safest place to sit on a plane is by a window, as people sitting in window seats had less contact with potentially sick people. Disinfect hard surfaces. When you get to your seat and your hands are clean, use disinfecting wipes to clean the hard surfaces at your seat like the head and arm rest, the seatbelt buckle, the remote, screen, seat back pocket and the tray table. If the seat is hard and nonporous or leather or pleather, you can wipe that down, too. (Using wipes on upholstered seats could lead to a wet seat and spreading of germs rather than killing them.) | If air travel is unavoidable, there are some steps you can take to protect yourself. Most important: Wash your hands often, and stop touching your face. If possible, choose a window seat. A study from Emory University found that during flu season, the safest place to sit on a plane is by a window, as people sitting in window seats had less contact with potentially sick people. Disinfect hard surfaces. When you get to your seat and your hands are clean, use disinfecting wipes to clean the hard surfaces at your seat like the head and arm rest, the seatbelt buckle, the remote, screen, seat back pocket and the tray table. If the seat is hard and nonporous or leather or pleather, you can wipe that down, too. (Using wipes on upholstered seats could lead to a wet seat and spreading of germs rather than killing them.) |
| Taking one’s temperature to look for signs of fever is not as easy as it sounds, as “normal” temperature numbers can vary, but generally, keep an eye out for a temperature of 100.5 degrees Fahrenheit or higher. If you don’t have a thermometer (they can be pricey these days), there are other ways to figure out if you have a fever, or are at risk of Covid-19 complications. | Taking one’s temperature to look for signs of fever is not as easy as it sounds, as “normal” temperature numbers can vary, but generally, keep an eye out for a temperature of 100.5 degrees Fahrenheit or higher. If you don’t have a thermometer (they can be pricey these days), there are other ways to figure out if you have a fever, or are at risk of Covid-19 complications. |
| The C.D.C. has recommended that all Americans wear cloth masks if they go out in public. This is a shift in federal guidance reflecting new concerns that the coronavirus is being spread by infected people who have no symptoms. Until now, the C.D.C., like the W.H.O., has advised that ordinary people don’t need to wear masks unless they are sick and coughing. Part of the reason was to preserve medical-grade masks for health care workers who desperately need them at a time when they are in continuously short supply. Masks don’t replace hand washing and social distancing. | The C.D.C. has recommended that all Americans wear cloth masks if they go out in public. This is a shift in federal guidance reflecting new concerns that the coronavirus is being spread by infected people who have no symptoms. Until now, the C.D.C., like the W.H.O., has advised that ordinary people don’t need to wear masks unless they are sick and coughing. Part of the reason was to preserve medical-grade masks for health care workers who desperately need them at a time when they are in continuously short supply. Masks don’t replace hand washing and social distancing. |
| If you’ve been exposed to the coronavirus or think you have, and have a fever or symptoms like a cough or difficulty breathing, call a doctor. They should give you advice on whether you should be tested, how to get tested, and how to seek medical treatment without potentially infecting or exposing others. | If you’ve been exposed to the coronavirus or think you have, and have a fever or symptoms like a cough or difficulty breathing, call a doctor. They should give you advice on whether you should be tested, how to get tested, and how to seek medical treatment without potentially infecting or exposing others. |
| If you’re sick and you think you’ve been exposed to the new coronavirus, the C.D.C. recommends that you call your healthcare provider and explain your symptoms and fears. They will decide if you need to be tested. Keep in mind that there’s a chance — because of a lack of testing kits or because you’re asymptomatic, for instance — you won’t be able to get tested. | If you’re sick and you think you’ve been exposed to the new coronavirus, the C.D.C. recommends that you call your healthcare provider and explain your symptoms and fears. They will decide if you need to be tested. Keep in mind that there’s a chance — because of a lack of testing kits or because you’re asymptomatic, for instance — you won’t be able to get tested. |
| “Gantz’s decision is difficult and fraught with dangers,” Shelly Yacimovich, a former Labor party leader, wrote on Twitter, “but it is surprising for its boldness and the only one that creates any chance of a unity government. Not that a unity government is a pleasing scenario. On the contrary. But unfortunately, it is the only possible scenario.” | “Gantz’s decision is difficult and fraught with dangers,” Shelly Yacimovich, a former Labor party leader, wrote on Twitter, “but it is surprising for its boldness and the only one that creates any chance of a unity government. Not that a unity government is a pleasing scenario. On the contrary. But unfortunately, it is the only possible scenario.” |
| Though the details of any unity government deal, or whether one had been reached, remained unclear, Mr. Netanyahu’s defense minister, Naftali Bennett, did not wait to congratulate Mr. Gantz “on the courageous step of entering a unity government headed by Netanyahu.” | Though the details of any unity government deal, or whether one had been reached, remained unclear, Mr. Netanyahu’s defense minister, Naftali Bennett, did not wait to congratulate Mr. Gantz “on the courageous step of entering a unity government headed by Netanyahu.” |
| “This is the right thing for Israel at this time of emergency,” Mr. Bennett wrote on Twitter. | “This is the right thing for Israel at this time of emergency,” Mr. Bennett wrote on Twitter. |
| Mr. Gantz was expected to serve as speaker for a short time, possibly only for a few days, before taking on a senior ministerial role in such a government. | Mr. Gantz was expected to serve as speaker for a short time, possibly only for a few days, before taking on a senior ministerial role in such a government. |
| Two of Blue and White’s top leaders, Yair Lapid and Moshe Yaalon, said they were breaking off from Mr. Gantz’s party but keeping the name Blue and White, since their factions constituted the majority of the alliance. | Two of Blue and White’s top leaders, Yair Lapid and Moshe Yaalon, said they were breaking off from Mr. Gantz’s party but keeping the name Blue and White, since their factions constituted the majority of the alliance. |
| “What’s being formed today isn’t a unity government and not an emergency government,” Mr. Lapid, a former finance minister, said angrily. “It’s another Netanyahu government. Benny Gantz surrendered without a fight.” | “What’s being formed today isn’t a unity government and not an emergency government,” Mr. Lapid, a former finance minister, said angrily. “It’s another Netanyahu government. Benny Gantz surrendered without a fight.” |
| After Mr. Netanyahu’s right-wing and religious bloc of parties fell short of winning a parliamentary majority in the last election, Mr. Netanyahu had seemed almost down and out. | After Mr. Netanyahu’s right-wing and religious bloc of parties fell short of winning a parliamentary majority in the last election, Mr. Netanyahu had seemed almost down and out. |
| But he has shown a Houdini-like knack for extricating himself from seemingly impossible political traps. And with the arrival of the coronavirus in Israel, he invoked the atmosphere on the eve of the 1967 war and exhorted Mr. Gantz to join forces in order to “save tens of thousands of citizens.” | But he has shown a Houdini-like knack for extricating himself from seemingly impossible political traps. And with the arrival of the coronavirus in Israel, he invoked the atmosphere on the eve of the 1967 war and exhorted Mr. Gantz to join forces in order to “save tens of thousands of citizens.” |
| Critics accused Mr. Netanyahu of exploiting the public-health crisis to buy himself a new lease on political life. Mr. Gantz had long offered to join a unity government with Mr. Netanyahu’s Likud party if Mr. Netanyahu stepped down, a concession that Mr. Netanyahu never seriously considered. | Critics accused Mr. Netanyahu of exploiting the public-health crisis to buy himself a new lease on political life. Mr. Gantz had long offered to join a unity government with Mr. Netanyahu’s Likud party if Mr. Netanyahu stepped down, a concession that Mr. Netanyahu never seriously considered. |
| But Mr. Netanyahu’s calls for an emergency unity government proved popular among Israeli voters, impatient for some national healing and loath to contemplate a fourth straight election, leaving Mr. Gantz seeming churlish if he continued to refuse. | But Mr. Netanyahu’s calls for an emergency unity government proved popular among Israeli voters, impatient for some national healing and loath to contemplate a fourth straight election, leaving Mr. Gantz seeming churlish if he continued to refuse. |
| Though Mr. Gantz’s 61-seat majority earned him the mandate to form a government, he had few good options. | Though Mr. Gantz’s 61-seat majority earned him the mandate to form a government, he had few good options. |
| His allies rejected out of hand the idea of a unity deal with Mr. Netanyahu, who has dangled various offers to step aside after six, 12 or 18 months, saying that Mr. Netanyahu would never follow through when the time came. | His allies rejected out of hand the idea of a unity deal with Mr. Netanyahu, who has dangled various offers to step aside after six, 12 or 18 months, saying that Mr. Netanyahu would never follow through when the time came. |
| There was speculation at first that Mr. Gantz would try to cobble together a minority government with the outside support of Arab lawmakers. But those prospects foundered when two right-leaning lawmakers from Blue and White said they would vote against any government that depended on Arab support. | There was speculation at first that Mr. Gantz would try to cobble together a minority government with the outside support of Arab lawmakers. But those prospects foundered when two right-leaning lawmakers from Blue and White said they would vote against any government that depended on Arab support. |
| It only remained to be seen what Mr. Gantz had gotten from Mr. Netanyahu in exchange for his stunning turnabout — and whether Mr. Netanyahu would ultimately live up to his end of any bargain. | It only remained to be seen what Mr. Gantz had gotten from Mr. Netanyahu in exchange for his stunning turnabout — and whether Mr. Netanyahu would ultimately live up to his end of any bargain. |