Tel-Chai Nation

3 of 4 senior Blue & White members may be willing to compromise in order to form a unity government with the Likud:

Blue and White leaders Chairman MK Benny Gantz, MK Moshe Ya'alon, and MK Gabi Ashkenazi have ruled out the formation of a minority government supported from the outside by the Joint Arab List, and are working towards the formation of a unity government with Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and his Likud party, Israel Hayom reported.

It is estimated that the three leaders have already agreed to the President's compromise, that Netanyahu should be first in a rotational deal, and that the 55-MK right-religious bloc is also welcome in the government, provided the number of ministers is equal in both the center-left and right-religious blocs.

According to Israel Hayom, the issues currently preventing a government are that Blue and White insists Netanyahu take leave immediately upon an indictment being filed, while the Likud is working to create an agreement that will allow Netanyahu to serve as long as possible.

Another issue is the fact that Blue and White's fourth leader, MK Yair Lapid, who it is believed still refuses to sit with both Netanyahu and the haredi parties.

This despite their willingness to back off their otherwise ill-advised boycott of Lapid himself. Well I hope they're taking a sensible path now, because this is getting very theater-of-the-absurd already.

Interestingly enough, with Naftali Bennett appointed a temporary defense minister, it appears it was done in order to prevent him from joining forces with Gantz's party:

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu may have appointed Naftali Bennett this week as defense minister, but a report Tuesday said he has admitted to only doing so for political purposes related to coalition negotiations.

According to the Kan public broadcaster, Netanyahu has been personally briefing ministers from his Likud party in recent days before they give media interviews, asking them to explain he only tapped Bennett because he felt compelled to in light of information suggesting the New Right lawmaker was planning to join forces with Netanyahu’s rival, Blue and White leader Benny Gantz.

“I had to thwart that option,” Netanyahu reportedly said.

Wow, fascinating. I've long though Bennett was that suspect, and if he's willing to cause that much trouble too, he's added yet another example of being a disgrace to his record.

We'll see how things turn out, but I'm not holding my breath that there'll be any positive breakthroughs.

Labels: Israel, Knesset, Moonbattery, political corruption