Former Welfare Minister Meir Cohen (Yesh Atid) revealed Thursday morning that there is ongoing contact between his party's chairman Yair Lapid and Yisrael Beytenu and Kulanu chairmen Avigdor Libermen and Moshe Kahlon, respectively.
"The connection Yesh Atid has with Liberman and Kahlon will be good for Israel," he said, speaking at a convention of the Association of Local Authorities in Israel, held in Jerusalem.
However, Cohen did not specify anything more about the nature of that connection.
Cohen also added that there had been discussions between former Finance Minister Lapid with Hatnua Chairwomen Tzipi Livni regarding running together on a joint list. Yet, he claims, that move was unsuccessful due to Livni's demand for a rotation-led government.
Regarding Labor Chairman Yitzhak Herzog and Livni's announcement that Hatnua is being subsumed into Labor, Cohen said "Yesterday's unity deal makes clear that on the one hand there is a far-right bloc led by [Jewish Home Chairman Naftali] Bennett, and on the other hand in the left and the center there is us."
Herzog and Livni held a press conference Wednesday night where they announced that Livni and members from her Hatnua party are joining Labor.
They agreed to rotate as prime minister, if successful in the March elections, with Herzog serving the first two years of the term and Livni serving the second half. In addition, Herzog guaranteed the 8, 16, and 21 places in Labor's list to former members of Hatnua.
In a statement released after the press conference, the Labor party gave full backing to the unity deal.