Netanyahu: Putin urged me to reach a unity government

Netanyahu says he spoke to Russian President Vladimir Putin and they agreed on cooperation regarding medical supplies.

He says when he spoke to Putin, he was in the middle of negotiations on a unity government with Benny Gantz, and mentioned to the Russian president that he needed to go deal with coalition talks.

Putin, says Netanyahu, hinted at his support for a unity government saying, “It’s very important that you unite forces, for Israel’s sake.”

“I agree with him,” Netanyahu says, “though it’s not simple.” Some roadblocks remain in the way, he says, but he thinks the sides can reach a coalition deal.

“With good will, and a joint effort, we can get there,” he says.

He says Israel’s “heart is with Bnei Brak,” the ultra-Orthodox city that has become a coronavirus hotspot, and condemns “terrible incitement” in the media and social media against the ultra-Orthodox.

The story of Passover is one the exodus from Egypt, and of overcoming crisis, he says. “In every generation, we overcome crises,” he says.

This time, too, “we will overcome… We’re writing a resonant chapter in the history of our people and our stage.”

This, he says, will be a Passover of “exodus from isolation to freedom.”