Amid widening protests over the police shooting of Jacob Blake, a Black man, in Wisconsin, Pence and other Republicans at their national convention described the Nov. 3 contest between Trump and Biden as a choice between "law and order" and lawlessness.

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"The hard truth is you won't be safe in Joe Biden's America," Pence told the crowd seated on a lawn at historic Fort McHenry in Baltimore.

Pence added that a vote for President Trump is also a vote for law and order worldwide. Stating that this administration has "Stood up to our enemies and we've stood with our allies. Like when President Trump kept his word and moved the American embassy to Jerusalem, the capital of the state of Israel, setting the stage for the first Arab country to recognize Israel in 26 years."

Accompanied by first lady Melania Trump, Trump joined Pence on stage after the speech as the crowd chanted: "Four more years."

Police in Kenosha, Wisconsin, shot Blake, 29, multiple times in the back at close range on Sunday, reigniting protests against racism and police brutality that erupted across the United States earlier in the year.

During a third night of unrest on Tuesday, three people were shot, two fatally. The state's lieutenant governor said the white teenager arrested on homicide charges was apparently a militia member who sought to kill innocent protesters.

Ahead of Pence's speech, Trump said he would send federal law enforcement to Kenosha by agreement with the state's governor.

"Let me be clear: the violence must stop – whether in Minneapolis, Portland, or Kenosha," said Pence, who did not mention Blake. "We will have law and order on the streets of this country for every American of every race and creed and color."

Biden said earlier he had spoken with Blake's family on Wednesday and, like the family, also called for an end to the violence. But unlike Trump, who has yet to publicly comment on the police shooting, Biden called for justice and defended the right to protest.

"Protesting brutality is a right and absolutely necessary, but burning down communities is not protest. It's needless violence," Biden said in a video posted by his campaign.

Pence repeated the unfounded charge that Biden supports liberal activist calls to "defund" the police. Biden rejects that approach and has promised instead to invest $300 million in grants to hire more diverse officers and train them to develop better relationships with communities.

Trump has intensified his "law and order" campaign theme as polls have shown voters give him poor grades for his handling of the coronavirus pandemic, which has killed more than 179,000 Americans.

During this week's convention, Republican speakers have tried to shore up Trump's slumping support among women, Black voters, and immigrants - groups that opinion polls show have been alienated by his divisive style.

On Wednesday, several speakers highlighted his support for women - part of a broader effort to portray Trump as caring and supportive of colleagues, family, and even strangers.

Trump adviser Kellyanne Conway, who announced earlier this week she would step down at the end of the month to spend time with her children, said Trump had given her an influential role in his 2016 campaign and at the White House.

"A woman in a leadership role can still seem novel. Not so for President Trump. For decades, he has elevated women to senior positions in business and in government. He confides in and consults us, respects our opinions, and insists that we are on equal footing with the men," Conway said.

Pence spoke at the Fort McHenry National Monument in Baltimore, Maryland – a federal facility that is the site of the battle during the War of 1812 that inspired Francis Scott Key to write "The Star-Spangled Banner."

A former Indiana governor and congressman and a conservative Christian, Pence has served as a key connector between Trump and evangelical voters, an influential part of the Republican political base.

Pence sought to reshape the narrative around the economy, casting the millions of jobs lost to the pandemic as a temporary setback. Despite lagging behind Biden in opinion polls, Trump gets higher marks as a steward of the economy than his Democratic rival does.

"Last week, Joe Biden said 'no miracle is coming.' What Joe doesn't seem to understand is that America is a nation of miracles, and we're on track to have the world's first safe, effective coronavirus vaccine by the end of this year," Pence said.

Trump and other administration officials have predicted a vaccine could be ready by the end of the year, but some experts are skeptical the trials, which must study potential side effects on different types of people, can be completed so soon.

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At their own party convention last week, Biden and his running mate, US Senator Kamala Harris of California, warned another four years in the White House for Trump would lead to chaos and threaten democracy.

Pence cast the choice in similar terms from the other side.

He accused Biden, the former vice president under Barack Obama and a centrist who defeated an array of more progressive candidates for the Democratic nomination, of being a stalking horse for the radical left.

"Last week, Joe Biden said democracy is on the ballot, and the truth is our economic recovery is on the ballot, law and order are on the ballot," he said. "But so are things far more fundamental and foundational to our country. The choice in this election is whether America remains America."

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Netanyahu's right-wing Likud and Gantz's Blue and White party issued a joint statement saying they had clinched a unity deal, which follows elections in April and September 2019 and on March 2 in which neither won a governing majority in parliament.

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The two had agreed Netanyahu would remain prime minister for 18 months period until Gantz takes over in late 2021.

Until then, Gantz, a former Israel Defense Forces chief, will serve as defense minister and several of his political allies, including two members of Israel's Labour Party, will receive ministerial portfolios as well. He will also be considered "alternate prime minister". Once Gantz becomes prime minister, Netanyahu would get the title "alternate prime minister."

The deal needs various legislative measures to be enacted, including amendments to basic law, but because the emerging coalition has a majority of Knesset seats, this will not be a hurdle.

During the negotiations, the parties cited a number of sticking points, including the planned extension of Israeli law in Judea and Samaria and setting a nomination process for judges.

Netanyahu, in power consecutively for the past 11 years, is under criminal indictment on corruption charges which he denies. They include bribery, fraud and breach of trust.

Gantz on the campaign trail promised not to sit in a government led by a prime minister facing criminal charges, but he recently backtracked, saying the enormity of the coronavirus crisis necessitated an emergency unity government.

"We have prevented a fourth election. We will protect democracy. We will fight coronavirus and care for all Israel's citizens," Gantz said on Twitter after signing the deal. Netanyahu tweeted a picture of Israel's blue and white flag.

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The two were expected to meet late Monday at the Prime Minister's Residence in order to come up with a final framework for a unity government, with both sides reporting progress in talks.

Gantz, who shocked many on the Left when he agreed to hold talks with Netanyahu several weeks ago in an effort to form a unity government with a rotating premiership, attacked Netanyahu on Monday during a televised speech, accusing Netanyahu of negotiating in bad faith.

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"We came up with key points of agreement, and I hope Netanyahu stays true to his word, and that he won't capitulate to people within his own camp," Gantz said, referring to the outstanding issues that have prevented the finalization of the deal and the swearing-in of the unity government.

"Several days ago Netanyahu and I reached a fair deal, under which Likud compromised on some of its demands and so did we," Gantz said, adding that his decision to break ranks with the Left and join a Netanyahu government was designed to "put the country first" in order to help navigate the country through the coronavirus crisis.

"Getting this done is imperative," Gantz said. "This is our moment of truth, history will not forgive us if we have cold feet. We either form an emergency government, or God forbid, hold a fourth early election," he continued.

Minutes after Gantz's speech, Netanyahu tweeted: "Gantz, I am waiting for you at the Prime Minister's Residence. Let's sign a deal tonight."

The urgency to sign a deal is a result of President Reuven Rivlin's decision not to extend the 28-day period Gantz got to form a government.

Rivlin said that because a unity government was not ready to be finalized, there was no point in extending. This means that come Tuesday at midnight, the mandate moves to the Knesset, which will have 21 days to appoint a prime minister with a majority of MKs. If that doesn't happen, new elections will automatically be triggered.

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Likud officials said the matter of applying Israeli sovereignty in Judea and Samaria under the auspices of the Trump administration's peace outline was "non-negotiable." Party officials said the demand to move forward with the application of sovereignty was clear to Blue and White from the beginning, and that party is unwilling to give Blue and White veto powers on the matter.

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As stated, the sides also disagree over the appointment of the next Knesset Speaker, whom the Likud wants to be from within its ranks. Likud negotiators insist that Yuli Edelstein be re-elected to the position, while Blue and White oppose the proposal. At the behest of Blue and White leader Benny Gantz, negotiators have even suggested returning the Foreign Ministry portfolio in exchange for the Knesset Speaker position, which Likud has rejected outright. Throughout the day Monday, Blue and White mediators also proposed swapping the Foreign Ministry for the Health Ministry portfolio, but Health Minister Yakov Litzman (United Torah Judaism) unequivocally rejected the idea.

Another point of friction between the sides is the identity of the next justice minister from within Blue and White's ranks. Likud officials are extremely opposed to the appointment of MK Avi Nissenkorn to the position, saying they gave up the portfolio on condition that the sides agree on who the next minister will be. The Likud has agreed for Blue and White MK Yehiel Tropper to receive the appointment. 

Israel Hayom has learned, meanwhile, that according to the Likud's proposal, in order to ensure that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hands over the premiership in October 2021 to Gantz, both leaders will be sworn in together right now so that Gantz will be able to enter office seamlessly and automatically without having to be sworn in a second time. Thus, if Netanyahu decides to disperse the Knesset before the stipulated date for the transition of power, Gantz would serve as prime minister of the transition government. To facilitate this plan of action, two laws will need to be passed before the next government is sworn in.

On a different political front, Likud officials on Monday responded to criticism from Defense Minister and Yamina faction leader Naftali Bennett, who said his faction won't be receiving a similar number of ministerial portfolios in the next coalition and that Netanyahu was establishing a "left-wing government."

A senior Likud official told Israel Hayom that "the defense portfolio was given to them with their explicit understanding and consent that it was only temporary and only for the duration of the transition government."

The official added: "It was clear to [Yamina] that all three major portfolios were theirs on a temporary basis. Both Shas and UTJ which each have more mandates [than Yamina] conceded to this arrangement because it was agreed that it was just a one-time exception. And the exception cannot become the standard.

"The demand [by Yamina] to receive the Foreign or Finance portfolios is sheer chutzpah. There are also election results to consider; Shas received nine mandates and Yamina only got six," the official said.

Bennett on Monday said his faction was concerned over the allotment of portfolios and that he wasn't sure Yamina would remain in the government under the circumstances.

"We'll wait to hear what the prime minister has to say to us and then we'll decide," Bennett said.

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At this stage of the negotiations, both blocs have laid claim to 15 portfolios, a serious step down for the right-wing bloc's current 28 portfolios.  

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The potential division of ministries affects mostly Yamina, the alliance of Habayit Hayehudi, the National Union, and the New Right.

The faction, which currently holds three ministries–  Defense for Naftali Bennett, Transportation for Bezalel Smotrich, and Education for Rafi Peretz– lambasted Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu "for not even considering Yamina for a major portfolio."

Netanyahu "sold everything that is important to the ideological Right to Blue and White, and the Justice Ministry will probably go to [MK Avi] Nissenkorn, which is a disaster for the Right given that his is very left-wing," one Yamina official told Israel Hayom.

"He sold the Defense, Economy, and Communications portfolio to the Left," he continued. "Netanyahu is basically forming a left-wing government. He made sure the haredim get what they want, but he didn't even think about giving the Interior, Health, or Religious Affairs portfolios to Blue and White."

According to the current understanding between Gantz and Netanyahu both Interior Minister Aryeh Deri (Shas) and Health Minister Yakov Litzman (United Torah Judaism) will remain in office.

Another Yamina official said the faction was so disturbed by the shaping nature of the government, that it might join the opposition.

"If Netanyahu leaves us with nothing and forms  a left-wing government, not only will we not be part of it, we will try to topple him from the outside. We won't be a leftist government's fig leaf," he asserted.

Taking to social media Smotrich wrote: "A unity government is important, but I lack last week's champions of democracy to explain why it is democratic to give 17 MKs political power equal to a block of 58 MKs.

"In the next government, the minority is going to rule and run the country. There may be no other choice but we to put it on the table and keep it in mind the next time they [the Left]talk about the 'blackmail' of the small parties."

Former Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked said that "handing over of the Defense and Justice ministries to the Left means ideological subjugation to the Left and the destruction of the reform instated in the Justice Ministry, as well as of the regularization effort [of [settlements] in Judea and Samaria effort we have led in the courts in recent years."

Speaking with Army Radio on Monday, she stressed that "'Opposition' is not a dirty word. We weren't born ministers and this partnership [with Likud] won't be as natural if we're facing a left-wing government. Sitting in an opposition is definitely an option. It's unthinkable that for 17 mandates, everything important to the Right will be sold to the Left.

"I'd like to believe that the prime minister won't dismantle the right-wing bloc," she said.

Likud officials said in response that "Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke on the phone with the heads of the national camp and made it clear to them that the preservation of the national camp is more important than ever during efforts to establish a unity government.

"The PM made it clear to the faction leaders that the media reports about the negotiations, including the division of portfolios, are false."

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The main problem that arose in talks on Sunday was the appointment of a Knesset speaker and interior minister. Blue and White demanded that outgoing Knesset Speaker Yuli Edelstein not be reinstated. Reports Sunday said that Tourism Minister Yariv Levin would be appointed speaker, but no decision has been made.

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Blue and White is also demanding that Culture and Sport Minister Miri Regev not be named public security minister. Meanwhile, the Likud is insisting that Avi Nissankoren not be appointed justice minister.

Another point of dispute was what status Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu would hold after Blue and White leader Benny Gantz replaces him in a rotation. The Likud wants Netanyahu to remain in the cabinet. On Sunday, public broadcaster Kan 11 reported that Netanyahu might be given acting prime minister after his rotation is over and be made responsible for Israel's contacts with Russia and the US.

In the meantime, tension is rife among Likud ministers as portfolios are distributed. The right-wing bloc, which held 28 portfolios, will be given only 15 in a unity government, give of which will be shared by coalition partners.

A number of Likud ministers were outraged on Sunday, saying that too high a political price had been paid to bring Blue and White into the government, in light of the number of MKs in the party.

"The Likud brought in a record number of seats and in the end, we get the same number of jobs as a party that is half our size. In a situation like this, we could make an ultimatum and say it makes no sense. Especially when Blue and White is being given major portfolios like defense, justice, and communications," one Likud official told Israel Hayom.

A number of senior Likud officials will likely be forced to accept portfolios of lesser prestige. A particularly tense battle is expected over the finance portfolio, although it will play out between two Likud members – outgoing Foreign Minister Israel Katz and MK Nir Barkat, who was promised a ministerial appointment. Defense Minister Naftali Bennett (Yamina) is also making it clear that he wants a major portfolio, such as finance.

When it comes to the public security portfolio, Minister Gilad Erdan – who won one of the Likud top spots in the last party primaries – is facing off against Regev, who is considered a close associate of Netanyahu.

One solution to the problem of too few portfolios to go around could be to send two Likud officials abroad, one to serve as Israeli ambassador to the US and the second to serve as Israeli ambassador to the UN.

However, the serving ultra-orthodox ministers appear to be secure in their positions. Deputy Health Minister Yakov Litzman (United Torah Judaism) is likely to retain the health portfolio, Interior Minister Arye Deri (Shas) will most likely stay on, and UTJ MK Moshe Gafni is expected to remain head of the Knesset Finance Committee.

Meanwhile, the Likud believes that Labor Leader Amir Peretz and MK Itzik Shmuli, as well as Gesher chief Orly Levy-Abekasis, will join the coalition. The two were scheduled to meet Monday to make a final decision. Associates of Shmuli said Sunday he had not yet made up his mind.

If the two join the coalition, Peretz is expected to receive a general economic portfolio while Shmuli would be appointed labor and welfare minister.

"Our goal is to balance the government, while strengthening the Left, to be in positions of influence and help Gantz," Labor officials told Israel Hayom Sunday. "We were in favor of a narrow government, but [from] the moment Gantz decided to join a unity government, we intend to be with him and back him up in the cabinet. What's more, this is a unique situation because of the coronavirus crisis."

Labor MK Merav Michaeli is staunchly opposed to Labor joining the government and on Sunday demanded that the party's governing committee be convened.

"According to rumors, the Labor faction could make a terrible mistake and joint the government. The indicted Netanyahu's radical Right could use the emergency situation as an excuse to go back on its election promises to its voters. I hope this isn't true and the rumors will turn out to be a lot of hot air," Michaeli said.

Israel Hayom has also learned that Gantz and his fellow Blue and White representative Gabi Ashkenazi would take the defense and foreign ministry portfolios, respectively.

Also on Sunday, the Knesset Arrangements Committee approved the split of the Blue and White list into two factions – Blue and White, under Benny Gantz, with 17 MKs who will join the coalition under Netanyahu; and Yesh Atid under Yair Lapid, which includes 16 MKs who will be part of the opposition. Lapid will serve as opposition leader. The decision must be ratified by the Knesset plenum.

Gantz will hold onto the name "Blue and White" for his faction, because after some post-election reshuffling, his party retains 17 MKs compared to the 16 who belong to Yesh Atid and Moshe Ya'alon's Telem party. This deals Lapid and Ya'alon a PR blow.

However, Yesh Atid-Telem stated Sunday that they "are continuing the path toward stabilizing politics. We will battle for the citizens of Israel from the opposition, and we will defend democracy. At the same time, we will work together on behalf of the public to battle the corona crisis. It is not being handled correctly. The economy is collapsing, and decisions are not being implemented. We will be a clear voice for the millions of citizens of who love Israel and who fear for its future. We will oversee the government's activities and create governing alternatives for Israel."

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"Significant understandings and progress were achieved. During the day [Sunday] another meeting will be held with the aim of signing an agreement," the sides said in a joint statement.

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Earlier Saturday, Netanyahu and Gantz met together with a senior Resilience party member and former IDF chief Gabi Ashkenazi.

At the same time, negotiating teams for Likud and Resilience gathered at the prime minister's official residence in Jerusalem for marathon discussions into the night.  

Israel Hayom has learned that the main point of disagreement between the sides pertains to the guarantees given to Gantz that Neytanyahu will indeed vacate the premiership in September 2021 in accordance with the rotation deal. 

Gantz over the weekend said he was completely at peace with his decision to enter a national emergency government. The Resilience party brings 15 Knesset members to the new government, if and when it is established, and will receive 12 ministerial portfolios.  

In other words, almost every Israel Resilience party MK will be a minister. Two other MKs who could receive portfolios are Zvi Hauser and Yoaz Hendel, who are currently exploring the possibility of leaving the Telem party, headed by Moshe Ya'alon. The now-defunct Blue and White faction had consisted of Israel Resilience, Telem, and Yair Lapid's Yesh Atid party. Ya'alon, for his part, has joined Lapid in refusing to join an emergency government.

Once the coalition talks between Likud and Israel Resilience are over, meanwhile, Netanyahu will still have to decide on the portfolio distribution. 

His aides stressed on Saturday that despite inquiries by current ministers about their futures, Netanyahu himself hasn't dealt with the matter and won't do so until a coalition deal is finalized – at which point he will consider the number of portfolios he has available for his party and determine how to allocate them.

Currently the right-wing block holds 28 ministerial portfolios, but after splitting these ministries with the Israel Resilience party, the 58 MKs comprising the right-wing bloc will have to suffice with just 15 portfolios.

Likud MKs, who have the most mandates with 36, will have to accept a mere 10 portfolios, which has sparked a great deal of tension within the party and among its right-wing partners. Consequently, the possibility of implementing separate rotation deals for the Likud-held portfolios is also being examined. 

As it stands, first in line in Likud to receive a portfolio are current ministers Israel Katz, Gilad Erdan, Yariv Levin, Miri Regev and Yoav Gallant. Justice Minister Amir Ohana, a favorite of the prime minister, is also expected to be on the list. Levin, a confidant of Netanyahu, is expected to receive the Transportation Ministry, which will apparently be taken from Bezalel Smotrich of the Yamina faction. 

As for the Finance Ministry – Katz believes he deserves a prominent portfolio; former Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat is still holding on to the campaign promise that he will receive it; and Defense Minister Naftali Bennett, who will likely be removed from his current post, will apparently demand it.

It also appears likely that Rabbi Rafi Peretz of the Habayit Hayehudi party will have to vacate the Education Ministry. Interior Minister Aryeh Deri (Shas) and Health Minister Yakov Litzman (United Torah Judaism) are expected to remain in their current offices. MK Moshe Gafni, also of UTJ, will likely remain as head of the Knesset Finance Committee. 

Israel Resilience is slated to receive the following ministries: Foreign, Defense, Justice, Communication, Culture, Agriculture, Economy, and Environmental Protection. It also stands to receive chairmanship of the Knesset's Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee.

According to reports, meanwhile, Resilience is expected to legislate a law to allow Netanyahu to remain in the government once Gantz becomes prime minister. Until now, ministers under indictment have not been able to serve, but this law will likely be changed this week.

Israel Resilience MK Avi Nissenkorn said, "According to the rotation deal, Netanyahu will be deputy prime minister, but he won't be able to hold a ministerial portfolio."

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Edelstein, of Netanyahu's Likud party, had dismissed the court's call to hold a vote for his successor. Last week he suspended parliamentary activities, citing procedural issues and restrictions on large gatherings due to the coronavirus.

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In her decision, Chief Justice Esther Hayut said, "The continued refusal to allow the vote in the Knesset plenum on the election of a permanent speaker is undermining the foundations of the democratic process."

The order exacerbates the country's deep political crisis while the longtime leader steers the country through the coronavirus outbreak and fends off a looming corruption trial.

The Knesset reconvened Monday after the Supreme Court ordered it to reopen for the selection of Edelstein's successor.

The opposition Blue and White party, which is backed by a slim majority in the newly-elected Knesset, said the country's legislature must continue to function at such a critical time. The party accused Edelstein of shuttering the halls of the legislature in order to keep his job and shield his beleaguered party leader.

"Democracy and law in Israel will be protected even if it's not comfortable for someone," Blue and White leader Benny Gantz said in a speech to the mostly empty chamber. Israel has strictly limited the size of public gatherings due to the coronavirus threat.

Blue and White is expected to choose a new speaker and use its parliamentary majority to push through legislation that could prevent Netanyahu from serving as prime minister in the future. The Likud party has accused Blue and White of relying on the votes of Arab members of parliament to "trample democracy" amid a national state of emergency and vowed to boycott a vote for a new speaker.

The Knesset on Monday voted 61-0 in favor of convening the key Arrangements Committee, which is authorized to create the Knesset's other decision-making committees. Netanyahu and his allies boycotted the parliamentary vote.

A panel of five judges chaired by Hayut had ordered Edelstein to announce by late Monday whether he planned to bring the selection of a new speaker up for a vote, or else they would be forced to rule against him.

In a harsh rebuttal, one of Netanyahu's closest surrogates, Tourism Minister Yariv Levin, accused the court of "formally taking control of the Knesset" and turning its speaker into a rubber stamp.

"If Chief Justice Hayut wants to put herself above the Knesset, she is invited to arrive at the building with her guards and open the session herself. That way it will be clear we are witnessing a coup," he said.

Earlier, Netanyahu's justice minister had called on Edelstein to ignore the court's order.

Edelstein wrote in reply to the court that he will "not agree to an ultimatum" and that "a permanent Knesset speaker has never been elected at a time of such great uncertainty concerning the composition of a future coalition." He said he would not put the Knesset speaker vote on the agenda until the political situation becomes clearer.

"With all due respect, I cannot agree to the ultimatum presented to me and Israel's parliament to hold the session no later than March 25," Edelstein wrote on Twitter, saying that setting the legislature's agenda was the speaker's prerogative, not the court's.

The political crisis comes amid an aggressive outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic in Israel, with Netanyahu inviting his rivals into an emergency unity government in the wake of the country's third inconclusive election in less than a year.

In Israel, daily life has largely shut down with cases multiplying greatly over the past week, reaching nearly 1,450 people testing positive for the new virus. One patient has died and 29 are in serious condition.

Gantz has pledged to support the government in its effort to combat the virus. But he and his allies have been skeptical about Netanyahu's power-sharing overtures, concerned that he will not follow through on his promises to cede power in 18 months.

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Edelstein has been stalling on the issue. Last week he shuttered the Knesset without allowing the process manning the various committees to form, citing the Health Ministry's guidelines barring gathering over the coronavirus outbreak. He further argued that there was a need to try to reach compromises between the parties before setting up the committees.

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The move earned him scathing criticism from Blue and White, which accused him of going against the voters' wishes.

He has said he will allow committees to be formed Monday, but he seems to want to further delay any vote on his potential replacement until a new government has been formed.

While the March 2 elections, Israel's third on the span of one year, again resulted in a political deadlock, it was Blue and White leader Benny Gantz who was able to garner the support of 61 lawmakers to form the government, and President Reuven Rivlin tasked him with the mission.

Gantz has a few weeks to try and form a government. If he fails, he will have to return the mandate, at which point Rivlin will task Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu with trying to cobble together a coalition.

Attorney General Avichai Mendelblitand Knesset Legal Adviser Eyal Yinon opined that the Knesset is independent of the government branch and therefore cannot be ordered to shut down – despite the Health Ministry's instructions to bar gatherings of 10 people and more.

However, on the question of whether Edelstein has the authority to thwart a vote on his replacement, Yinon said that granting a 61-majority vote on the matter could cause a "severe regime malfunction,"

Throughout Israel's 72-year existence, the Knesset speaker had only been replaced once a new government was sworn in. Thus, replacing Edelstein before a government is formed would represent an unprecedented move, even with a majority vote.

On Monday, the Knesset will resume its sessions after Mandleblit said that the Arrangements Committee, which oversees parliament's work until permanent committees are formed, should be established promptly.

Following the hearing, Gantz said that "Israeli democracy will never be taken hostage by small politics, and won't be dependent on any negotiation," referring to the unity government talks being held by his faction and the Likud party.

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The goal, according to the veteran conservative leader, was a government empowered to confront the coronavirus crisis and end an unprecedented political deadlock that has seen Israel hold three inconclusive elections in less than a year.

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He would head the government for 18 months, Netanyahu said, after which former general Benny Gantz would take over.

"The details have all been agreed," Netanyahu said in an interview with Channel 12 News. "I will leave [office] on the date we decide, there will be no tricks, no shticks. Millions of citizens are waiting for us to save Israel."

"This is the last call for unity," Netanyahu added.

Gantz's Blue and White Party immediately cast doubt on the sincerity of Netanyahu's offer.

"Netanyahu, anyone who wants unity doesn't impose ultimatums, use partial leaks and most certainly does not hurt democracy or the citizens and does not paralyze parliament," Gantz said on Twitter.

Netanyahu's critics have accused him of compromising democracy while spearheading the country's fight against the coronavirus.

Last week Netanyahu bypassed parliament and enacted emergency regulations to allow Israel's security forces to use counterterrorism cyber-tracking of coronavirus patients in an effort to fight the epidemic's spread.

Netanyahu's Likud and Blue and White have also been at loggerheads over the formation of legislative committees, including one that would address the phone-tracking issue.

The four-term prime minister is also facing criminal charges in three corruption cases, which he denies.

His trial was supposed to begin last Tuesday but has been put off until May because of the coronavirus crisis.

With a razor-thin majority of supporting lawmakers following the March 2 election, Gantz has been asked by Israel's president to try and form a new government.

But neither Likud nor Blue and White won enough seats in parliament in the election to secure a ruling majority on their own, repeating the stalemate of two previous elections in 2019.

At least 883 coronavirus cases and one fatality have so far been confirmed in Israel. Netanyahu tightened a national stay-at-home policy this week which also limits any gatherings to 10 people.

Netanyahu floated a proposal on Saturday to have mass blood tests to check people for antibodies of the virus, so that they can go back to work.

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