able to fire Blue and White ministers and Blue and White would not be able to vote no-confidence in the government.

Netanyahu said he was also ready to discuss a unity government with a rotation in the Prime Minister’s Office. But he said that in such a government, he would have to be prime minister the first two years while Gantz served as vice prime minister.

After the September election, the rotation considered had Netanyahu only serving as prime minister for five or six months. Speculation had been that because the Likud did better in the March election, Netanyahu could ask to stay in office for a year. Blue and White sources said joining a government led by Netanyahu for two years was a non-starter.

But Ashkenazi released a statement onof Israeli citizens

Netanyahu issued another statement on Sunday morning calling upon Gantz to join the government, due to the coronavirus pandemic.

“To face the national and international emergency situation, we must join forces and form a strong and stable government that can pass a budget and make difficult decisions,” Netanyahu wrote.

Netanyahu also called on Yisrael Beytenu leader Avigdor Liberman and Labor chairman Amir Peretz to join the government.

Liberman mocked the proposal on social media, saying "I know Netanyahu, and there is nothing behind his calls for unity except for playing the blame game." Liberman found himself joining his nemesis, Joint List head Ayman Odeh, in recommending Gantz to form the government.

Odeh told Rivlin his party was backing Gantz "out of hatred for Haman," using a term from last week's