Aim for govt ‘without extremists’ : Israeli ministers

Jerusalem:  Leaders of two parties in Israel’s outgoing coalition government have announced that they would run jointly in the upcoming national elections.
Benny Gantz, Israel’s Defense Minister and leader of the centrist Blue and White party, and Gideon Sa’ar, Justice Minister and leader of the right-wing New Hope party, called on Sunday in a joint statement for a centrist unity government with Gantz at the helm that would “say no to extremism”.
“Today, we are laying the foundation of the next government,” Gantz said.
Sa’ar said the new alliance was formed in a bid to break Israel’s three-year political deadlock and establish “a broad national unity government not dependent upon the fringes”.
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The announcement marked the first shift in the political map since the parliament voted to dissolve itself on June 30 following the collapse of the coalition government, sending the country to its fifth elections in fewer than four years.