Over the past 28 days I have left no stone unturned,
and I have cleared away each grain of sand, in a bid
to form a government that would bring Israel a leadership of honor,
a leadership of morality, of values. A leadership that has been forgotten.
In the face of efforts to attain unity and reconciliation,
a bloc [reference to Netanyahu’s right-wing ultraorthodox bloc]
has been placed, that finds it hard to see, that insists
on seeing only the personal interest of one person,
before that of the patients lying in [hospital] corridors.
No one has the right to deny the people its choice,
and no prime minister and party leader has
the right to tell the people: 'My personal interest takes
precedence over your personal interest.
"Benny Gantz, I would respond to all of the preposterous things
you said about me this evening, nor to your failure to form
a national unity government. It was not because you insisted
on breaking up the bloc. After all, you yourselves turned
to the 'haredi' (Ultra-Orthodox religious) parties and tried
to entice them with everything so they might join you in power.
And aside from that, you were prepared to set up a minority
government with terror-supporters who receive their instructions
from the enemies of Israel. So, let's not spin stories.
But one thing you said that was right. Israel needs a unity government.
After all, everything sees what we are facing today.
We are in a campaign against with Iran on various fronts.
And therefore, for the sake of Israel's security, for the sake of the will of
the people, for the sake of reconciliation among the people,
we indeed need to form a unity government.
We have historic opportunities and we also have weighty challenges.
And we must not lose even a moment.
And therefore, I am responding to you thus: I am prepared,
without preconditions, to enter an immediate dialogue with you
this very evening, in order to form a unity government.
If we go together, we will succeed.
If we roll towards election, it's because of lack of leadership.
One was not ready to accept the president's plan (for unity)
and the other was not willing to separate from his
Ultra-Orthodox messianic bloc.