Gantz and Netanyahu
Gantz and NetanyahuOren Ben Hakoon

Opposition leader Benjamin Netanyahu is continuing to court Defense Minister Benny Gantz in an attempt to bring down the Bennett-Lapid government and form an alternative government, Channel 12 News reported on Friday.

Netanyahu’s goal, according to the report, is to persuade Gantz to form a new government with the Likud in the current Knesset, in which Gantz will serve first as Prime Minister for two years, and will be followed by Netanyahu serving as Prime Minister.

The move Netanyahu is considering is known as "a constructive vote of non-confidence", that will ostensibly allow him to topple the Bennett-Lapid government and form a new government, of which he will be a part. According to Channel 12 News, Netanyahu believes the move is possible because the Likud and the haredim have 52 seats together, Gantz has 8 and if Yamina MK Amichai Chikli is added, there are 61 MKs with whom an alternative government can be formed.

This week there were two attempts on Netanyahu's part to open channels of communication with Gantz in an attempt to initiate this move. In the first incident, this week, a person very close to Gantz received a phone call from a person very close to Netanyahu. In that conversation, the Gantz confidant was asked whether Gantz knows exactly how a constructive non-confidence motion works, what process needs to happen in the Knesset and what majority is needed for such a move to materialize.

Another incident has also taken place in recent days, when a person very close to Netanyahu called another person close to Gantz and asked him how the Defense Minister was doing, how he feels after a bit of a cold and how he sees his position in the government with Bennett and Sa'ar.

Despite the lengthy courtships, according to Friday’s report, Gantz has responded negatively to the proposal, and the chances of a move of this kind appear slim.

(Arutz Sheva’s North American desk is keeping you updated until the start of Shabbat in New York. The time posted automatically on all Arutz Sheva articles, however, is Israeli time.)