Likud, Yamina coalition negotiating teams to meet

The negotiating teams of the Likud and Yamina coalition met on Tuesday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Yamina leader Naftali Bennett agreed on Monday afternoon when they met for the third time since President Reuven Rivlin gave Netanyahu the mandate last Tuesday to to form government.
Yamina leader Naftali Bennett on Monday denied reports that his demand for a rotation in the prime minister’s office prevented the formation of a Netanyahu-led government.

At a meeting of the Yamina faction in the Knesset, Bennett said that anyone who calls him an obstacle spreads ‘false news’ and lies.

“I could have sat in the prime minister’s chair by now if that was my highest goal, but my highest goal is to prevent the disaster of another election,” Bennett said.

Bennett cites Israel’s challenges in Iran, at the International Criminal Court in The Hague and economic challenges as reasons why Israel immediately needs a stable government.

“In our meeting, I told Netanyahu and I say it again here: The Likud can rely on the Yamina faction when building a right-wing government,” Bennett said. “We will continue to work hard to prevent the disaster of a fifth election. There are creative ways and ideas to do this, which should roll up your sleeves and start working. ”

Bennett said the blocs in Israel are no longer Right and Left, or for or against Netanyahu remaining in power.

“Now there are only the camps of those who are responsibly trying to form a government and those in the anarchy camp that are torpedoing it,” Bennett said. “They have to come down from the tree.”

Sources close to Bennett have said he places Bezalel Smotrich, head of the Religious Zionist Party, in the second category, who still refuses to sit in a government backed by Ra’am (the United Arab List).

At the Labor and Meretz faction meetings, party leaders Michaeli and Nitzan Horowitz accused Netanyahu of deliberately announcing security operations for personal reasons. Michaeli said that the Democratic leaders in the USA told her that they no longer know whether Netanyahu represents Israel when he makes decisions about Iran or his own personal situation.

“Netanyahu cannot be trusted with security issues because he can make decisions based on his political and legal problems,” Horowitz said. “The parties in the change bloc must negotiate, because every day he stays in office, it is dangerous for Israel.”

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