Representatives for the noon Blue & White party of Defense Minister Benny Gantz and far-flung Yamina Naftali Bennett met to discuss a possible alliance in the upcoming March elections.
No party members were present at the meeting. Parties have until February 4 to submit their final lists of party candidates for the vote.
Blue & white boss Benny Gantz
(Photo: Elad Malka)
Blue & White has taken a tone further south after the release of nine MKs and party ministers, mostly from the group further left.
Party officials have argued that, with this new tone, Blue & White should review an alliance with Yamina, on the condition that pro-settlement leader Tkuma’s farthest side, Betzalel Smotrich, is not part of the agreement.
Last week, Ynet reported that former justice minister Avi Nissenkorn said he had resigned from Blue & White because of links between Gantz and Yamina. Since then he has joined the new Tel Aviv Mayor Ron Huldai, an Israeli party.
Members of Gantz’s inner circle said the defense minister could prove “the deciding factor” in the elections and that he is “working to prevent a radical right-wing government either”. [former Likud minister] Gideon Sa’ar or Bennett with [Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu. ”
Yamina, for his part, sees the remaining members of Blue & White as more aligned with the religious-Zionist side on the political map and could be well-suited for the party, mentioning MKs such as Chili Tropper, Michael Biton, Orit Farkash -HaCohen and Pnina Tamano-Shata.
The biggest benefit Yamina would gain from a joint venture with Blue & White is funding, which is calculated based on the number of Knesset seats each party holds.
Chief Yamina Naftali Bennett
(Photo: yoavian bird)
Blue & White, which currently has 13 seats, received nearly NIS 20 million in campaign funding although censuses show it may not even exceed the 3.25% of the vote threshold total to return to the Knesset in March.
Blue & White said in response that there is no compromise with Yamina and that the parties will not run together in March.
The party also said that Gantz intends to stay in the race to make sure Netanyahu is ousted, and that he will focus on fighting coronavirus and defending the country.
Yamina, however, said in response that such a move is “not yet on the table.”