Lapid, Bennett Meet to Discuss Israeli Government Coalition

Israel’s Opposition Leader Yair Lapid, head of the center-left Yesh Atid party, and Naftali Bennett, head of the right-wing Yamina party, met late on Saturday night to discuss forming a coalition government that does not include long-time Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu. The meeting was described as “good” by Lapid, who said that the two leaders would meet again “soon.”

Bennett met on Friday with Netanyahu. On Monday, Bennett and the heads of all of the parties will begin meeting with Israel’s President Reuven Rivlin to nominate someone to form the next coalition government. Bennett has not yet indicated who he plans to nominate, though some reports have said he could nominate himself. Other reports say that Bennett is leaning toward nominating Netanyahu and folding his Yamina party back into the Likud Party. Lapid reportedly has offered that Bennett could go first in a rotation for the prime minister position in order to join a centrist and right-wing coalition that does not include Netanyahu.