Israel has a new government at last

COVID-19 HAS caused much misery. But on April 20th it helped end Israel’s political deadlock. After three inconclusive elections in the span of a year, the country’s two biggest parties, Likud and Blue and White, put aside their differences and agreed to form a “national-emergency unity government”. Under the deal, Binyamin Netanyahu, the long-serving prime minister (pictured), remains in the post for another 18 months. Then he will hand over to Benny Gantz, the leader of Blue and White, who will serve as deputy prime minister and defence minister in the meantime.The agreement was signed just two weeks before the deadline that would have triggered a fourth election. The relief is palpable. According to one poll, only 31% of the public believe that Mr Netanyahu will honour the agreement and make way for Mr Gantz when his time is up. But the alternative—yet another bitter election campaign, while the country is under lockdown and entering a recession—sounded worse. Nearly two-thirds of the public supports the new government, with only about a fifth opposing it.