(Globes)."At this moment, the workers at the Vita-Galilee Fruit plant are digging in. The factory is at risk of closing, along with many others. The livelihoods of thousands of families are now in question. We're talking about the economic soundness of many communities and the economic soundness of the whole country," Likud chairman MK Benjamin Netanyahu told the party's MKs today.
Netanyahu went on, "We're facing an economic crisis the likes of which we haven’t seen in years. This is a broad and deep crisis, and we'll have to take many measures to save the likelihoods of thousands of families and to ensure the economic future of Israel's citizens. We won't be able to stop this too much. I assume that there will be further deterioration until we'll be able to turn the economy around.
"The situation requires the combining of forces and creative economic measures, and a broad front in the Knesset."
Netanyahu added, "At the same time, rockets are being fired into Israel in the north and the south. Hanging over all is the nuclear armament program of Iran, which continues its effort to build an atomic bomb with declared intent against us. We've never faced such an emergency, except possibly during the War of Independence, and it requires a different leadership. It requires us to set aside routine politics and personal and partisan considerations, which might be legitimate at other times. They are not legitimate in times like these. We must now combine our forces. The importance of the need for unity in the face of the threats increases daily."
Netanyahu said, "I've spoken with [Kadima chairwoman and Minister of Foreign Affairs Tzipi] Livni and [Labor Party chairman and Minister of Defense Ehud] Barak, and I intend to speak with them again in order to get them to join hands to meet the great challenge that Israel faces. I hope that they will respond, and I'm sure that there is response within our parties; we're united on this. I hope that we'll find among the centrist political leaders of the country the strength for unity. The nation wants unity, and the emergency requires it."
