Former Finance Minister and Yesh Atid chairman Yair Lapid met on Tuesday evening at a restaurant with former IDF Chief of Staff Benny Gantz, Hadashot TV reported.
According to sources, the two met for what was described as a "a political meeting - ahead of the elections."
The meeting comes on the heels of a report last week that Gantz had secretly gathered signatures from 130 people who signed documents for his new party. The significance of this move is that Gantz has apparently decided to run on a separate list, even if he joins another party down the road, during the election campaign.
Legally, the party is still not registered because in order to do so, the signed documents must be sent to the Registrar of Parties. According to Hadashot TV, Gantz is waiting until elections are called to register his party.
Gantz has long been rumored to be leaning towards establishing a new party under his leadership rather than joining an existing party.
It is estimated that Gantz is interested in being appointed to a senior position in the next government. Should he join an existing party, the process will likely end in him assuming the role of a junior minister or a full member of the Knesset without being a member of the Cabinet.
Some recent polls have predicted that Gantz’s party could win as many as 15 seats.
Zionist Union MK Shelly Yechimovich recently called on Gantz to join the Zionist Union, saying the alliance between Avi Gabbay and Tzipi Livni shows “that we are a big camp and I'm sure Livni will vacate the second spot on the list for him.”
An unnamed senior Likud minister recently claimed that serious negotiations were under way with Gantz about him joining the Likud. According to that minister, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu is expected to propose to Gantz that he serve as Foreign Minister in a future government that will be formed after the elections.
The Likud denied the report and said, "This is a false spin that was created for political purposes only. There was no offer to Benny Gantz, whose views are far from the views of the Likud. Besides, Prime Minister Netanyahu is certainly pleased with the Foreign Minister in his government."
Netanyahu holds the role of Foreign Minister in addition to serving as Prime Minister.