Binyamin Netanyahu at cabinet meeting January 5th, 2020
Binyamin Netanyahu at cabinet meeting January 5th, 2020REUTERS

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu on Saturday vening called for the creation of a national emergency government. He said that, "it is impossible to make budgetary decisions in a transitional government. I call on [Blue and White Chairman MK Benny] Gantz, [Yisrael Beytenu Chairman Avigdor] Liberman, and [Labor Party head] Amir Peretz - join us."

"You see what is happening in the world and realize that we are in the midst a crisis the world has not seen since the 1918 [Spanish flu pandemic]. I ask for your cooperation. We are ready to discuss it at the [very moment]. I urge you to put aside all cynicism and skepticism and [unite]."

Earlier in the evening, Netanyahu announced a partial shut down of the national economy to contain the spread of the virus. The Prime Minister said all non-essential businesses including: malls, restaurants, cafes, and theaters would be closed and workers would be encouraged to remain at home.

According to a Channel 12 report, a number of MKs have warned that a general shutdown of the economy could cause irreparable damage to the country's financial apparatus, already strained by three consecutive elections.

Following the last two elections, the right and left blocs sought to figure a way out of the impasse only to come to the realization that their differences were too significant to overcome. The Israeli public has suffered as a result, with the national economy absorbing significant losses. Liberman's Yisrael Beytenu has received a large dose of blame, with the former Netanyahu aide siding with the left as a result of an apparent personal rift with the Prime Minister.