Israel mulls an emergency unity government amid unprecedented attack by Hamas militants
unity government to deal with the complex situation after the unprecedented attack by Hamas militants that has left at least 300 Israelis dead. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and opposition leaders Yair Lapid and Benny Gantz spoke on Saturday and discussed the possibility of joining Netanyahu's government because of the emergency created by Saturday's infiltration and rocket attacks from Gaza, Ha'aretz newspaper reported.
The two opposition leaders expressed their willingness, but Lapid demanded far-right leaders and ministers, Bezalel Smotrich and Itamar Ben-Gvir, be removed.
Gantz agreed to join alongside the two, the report said.
Netanyahu reportedly said that he offered the two leaders to join the wide emergency government when they met him for a security briefing, citing past Likud leader Menachem Begin's example of joining the-then Prime Minister Levi Eshkol's government on the eve of the war in 1967.
Opposition leader Lapid however refuted those claims saying that it was he who presented the option to form a government following a briefing with Netanyahu.
Lapid served as Prime Minister before Netanyahu returned to power last December.
Former Defense Minister Benny Gantz said that he is considering positively joining a government centred around the security situation. He has also served as the Chief of the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) in the past.
