Two weeks after Yamina leader Naftali Bennett ruled out joining a government of change that would replace Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Bennett met on Thursday with Yesh Atid leader Yair Lapid and they talked about forming a coalition together.
Neither side was willing to reveal information about the meeting, which was the first between the two men since before Operation Guardian of the Walls began on May 10.
Yamina officials declined to confirm a report that Bennett met with Lapid behind the back of his party No. 2, MK Ayelet Shaked. The officials would only say that despite reports to the contrary, Bennett and Shaked remain fully coordinated.
Sources in the bloc of parties aiming to replace Netanyahu said Israel would have a new government by the time Lapid’s mandate to form a coalition ends on Wednesday night, as long as Netanyahu does not blow away Bennett with a new offer over the weekend.
“A unity government is doable,” a source in the change camp said. “If Bennett wants, it will happen. Portfolios, principles or proposed laws will not prevent it.”
Lapid has been working to seal deals with five parties by the end of this week and then present Bennett a ready government on a silver platter for him to accept, or reject ahead of Lapid’s Wednesday deadline.
To that end, Yesh Atid’s negotiating team met on Thursday with representatives of New Hope and Blue and White. Talks with New Hope will continue on Sunday.
“There has been progress in the negotiations and some agreements have been reached,” a joint statement by Yesh Atid and New Hope said. “The teams will continue working with the aim of reaching agreements on forming a government.”
New Hope has ruled out joining a government that does not include Yamina, so no deal will be finalized yet with Gideon Sa’ar’s party after agreement was reached with Yisrael Beytenu and Meretz.
Talks with Blue and White hit a snag over the party’s request for veto power on legal reforms that Sa’ar intends to advance as justice minister in a new government.
Blue and White leader Benny Gantz met with Bennett at a Tel Aviv hotel on Thursday, but a source close to Gantz said they were there for the same conference and did not meet to discuss coalition building.
Meanwhile, Yamina teams continue to meet with Likud about a deal to run together if a fifth election in under two and a half years is called. Both sides reported progress in the talks, which took place even though Bennett told his faction on Wednesday that he would not negotiate if Likud activists continued protesting outside the homes of Yamina MKs.
Protesters for and against joining a coalition of change gathered outside the Tel Aviv home of Shaked on Thursday.
If Bennett does not agree to join a government during Lapid’s mandate, there would then be three weeks in which any MK can seek the support of a majority of Knesset members to try to form a government. If an MK gets the signatures needed, they would be given a two-week mandate to try to build a coalition.