Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu has told the hareidi parties that they will not be a part of the initial coalition he intends to present to the nation, Channel 2 news reported Wednesday evening.
According to the report, official representatives of Likud / Yisrael Beytenu contacted Shas and United Torah Judaism and told them that they will only be able to enter the Netanyahu government in what they termed "stage two," after the formal announcement of the new government.
The hareidi parties reportedly "rejected" this statement.
Likud / Yisrael Beytenu teams coalition negotiation teams will meet Thursday with Yesh Atid for more talks. The meeting follows two weeks in which there was no meaningful progress in talks between the two parties.