Yamina leader Naftali Bennett said on Monday his party supported the formation of a right-wing government with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud, but stressed that the departure of a fifth round of elections in two years was his overarching goal.
Shortly after making the remarks during the party’s weekly faction meeting at the Knesset, Bennett met with Netanyahu for further coalition negotiations, which lasted about two hours.
“I told Netanyahu and I will say it here too – Likud can rely on the votes of the Yamina party in favor of forming a right-wing government,” Bennett said.
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But, he added, “We will work with all our might to prevent the disaster of a fifth round – there are creative ways.” It was an obvious hint that if Netanyahu did not form a coalition, he would rather work with the prime minister’s rivals to form a government.
Bennett also rejected reports in the media that his ambitions for a rotation agreement, which would allow him to withhold the premiership, Yamina commit to the Netanyahu-led party parties to form a coalition.
“No position for me is an obstacle to the formation of a government,” he said. “If my goal was to sit in the prime minister’s chair, I could do it.”
Yamina, who won seven seats, negotiated with Likud over the creation of a government after the unconvincing election last month, the fourth in two years. Even with his support, a coalition remains unlikely, as such a government would need the support of the Islamic Framework Party, a prospect completely rejected by Netanyahu’s allies in the far-right Party of Religious Zionism.
Bennett and Netanyahu last met on Thursday.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, right, speaks to then-Yamina party leader Naftali Bennett on March 4, 2020. (Yonatan Sindel / Flash90)
Channel 12 News reported on Friday that Bennett had agreed to support the premiership with Netanyahu in a government backed by Ra’am, but only if the leader of Religious Zionism, MK Bezalel Smotrich, is on board. However, the network said Likud sources denied Yamina’s allegation that Netanyahu made Bennett such an offer.
It was also reported that Netanyahu, despite all the fraud, believes that Bennett is just walking with him and that he has already decided to join forces with opposition leader Yair Lapid.
Named senior Likud party officials told Kan News on Monday that Netanyahu had given up the possibility of persuading Religious Zionism to join a coalition supported in any way by the Ra’am party.
According to the report, Netanyahu is now convinced that Smotrich does not intend to change his mind and agrees to join a government that will even have the support of Ra’am from outside, and the prime minister would rather draws his attention to persuading Gideon of New Hope. Sa’ar to join his government.
The right-wing New Hope did not exclude Likud as a party, only Netanyahu, which gives rise to scenarios in which Netanyahu relinquishes power and becomes president or alternative prime minister, enabling Sa’ar’s party to join and a to form a right-wing majority. coalition led by another Likud member.
President Reuven Rivlin instructed Netanyahu last week to form a government, after the prime minister received more recommendations than any other party legislator who won representation in the Knesset during the March 23 vote.
Gideon Sa’ar, head of the New Hope political party, speaks at a Channel 12 news conference in Jerusalem on March 7, 2021. (Yonatan Sindel / Flash90)
Netanyahu, with 52 recommendations, however, still did not receive a majority support in the Knesset with 120 seats, and neither he nor the group of parties opposed to his continued rule had a clear path to a governing coalition, leading to fear of a fifth. rapid fire election.
Several – and mostly unlikely – scenarios are being driven about how to reach the magic number of 61, including relying on Framework support, despite opposition from right-wing lawmakers; try to recruit “defectors” from other parties; and trying to get Sa’ar’s new hope to join such a coalition.
If Netanyahu fails to form a government within 28 days, the president can order the attempt to a second person (for another 28 days and a possible additional 14), or the mandate to the Knesset returns and the legislature gives 21 days to agree on a candidate supported by 61 MKs.
If the president appoints a second person and the person does not form a coalition, the mandate automatically returns to the Knesset for a period of 21 days. During that time, any MK may be eligible to form a government.
Rivlin has implied that he may not give the mandate to a second candidate if Netanyahu fails, but will immediately send it back to the Knesset.
At the end of the 21-day period, if 61 MKs have not agreed on a candidate, the new Knesset will automatically go out and the country will go to another election, which is the fifth in less than three years.
Although coalition negotiations are still ongoing, parties’ loyalty was tested on Monday night by Likud MK Miki Zohar, who wanted to bring his proposal to the members of the Organizing Committee for a Knesset vote, but at the last minute drew the vote. due to Yamina’s opposition.
The committee, the first in the Knesset to be formed after an election, determines which parliamentary committees will be formed and who will sit on them. Most importantly, it also controls the legislative agenda in the new parliament until a new government is formed.
Likiki MK Miki Zohar seen at the Knesset, October 21, 2020. (Yonatan Sindel / Flash90)
Netanyahu appointed Zohar on Sunday as chairman of the organizing committee, which was made possible after Rivlin elected the prime minister to form a coalition after last month’s election. The legislature that sets up a coalition elects the chairman of the committee.
Zohar has failed to reach an agreement with party leaders on who should sit on the committee and has therefore drawn up a list that gives his own Likud party a majority, Haaretz reports.
Disagreements arose over how many seats should be allocated to each of the ten parties that won between 6-9 seats in the election. According to the report, parties that support Netanyahu as prime minister will have a slim majority if these parties are given a single seat, while the parties that want to replace him will get more power if they get two seats.
After Yamina announced that he would oppose the formation of the committee under Zohar’s conditions, he drew the vote, which is expected to take place next week.