Kahlon talking to young Israelis at a pub in Tel Aviv
Kahlon talking to young Israelis at a pub in Tel AvivAmir Levy/Flash 90

Yesh Atid Chairman Yair Lapid met with Kulanu Chairman Moshe Kahlon Monday evening amid talks of a Center consolidation. 

Members of Yesh Atid have recently made no secret of their desire to to join Kahlon's Kulanu party, and Lapid has made known his belief in the various studies which predict the two could reach 24 seats together.

Surveys conducted by Yesh Atid have suggested that if the two parties were to run together, their joint list would receive between 24 and 28 seats. 

These results were presented to Kahlon, who for the moment refuses to join Lapid, instead keeping his options open. 

On Thursday, the same day Kulanu was officially registered as a political party, Kahlon denied the rumor that there is ongoing contact between Lapid and the chairmen of Yisrael Beytenu and Kulanu.

His and Yisrael Beytenu Chairman Avigdor Liberman's staunch denials came hours after Yesh Atid MK Meir Cohen claimed he met with Kahlon as part of these ongoing negotiations. 

"The connection Yesh Atid has with Liberman and Kahlon will be good for Israel," Cohen said, without specifying anything more about the nature of that connection. 

In the past few days, Kahlon repeated to his associates what Lapid said when offered a unity deal against Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu in the previous election: "I don't want current politicians in my party." 

In any case, if Kahlon were to join an existing party, chances are more likely this will be with Avigdor Liberman's Yisrael Beytenu, who Lapid is also trying to attach himself to.

Kulanu and Yisrael Beytenu have already signed a "surplus vote" agreement in upcoming elections. For now, however, both parties emphasize they are running separately.  

The pursuit of Kahlon, Yesh Atid officials say, stems from the fact that his party's agenda revolves around the cost of living issue, similar to that of Yesh Atid in the January 2013 elections. 

"Our flag was lowering the cost of living and that is now the flag of Kahlon," Yesh Atid said. 

According to officials, Yesh Atid was burnt by the fact that as Finance Minister Laid was unable to make significant improvements on the subject.

What may be prompting Yesh Atid even more is that Kahlon comes to the elections as a fresh face with a flush of success for engineering the plan to significantly reduce the cost of cellular service in Israel.