Yuli Edelstein
Yuli EdelsteinKobi Richter, TPS

MK Omer Barlev (Labor-Gesher) said he is working to garner support to allow Knesset Speaker Yuli Edelstein - a Likud MK - to attempt to form a coalition.

At a Shabbatarbut (political and cultural forums that take place on the Sabbath) event in Tel Aviv, Barlev said he is "trying to advance a process to bring 61 signatures [of MKs] who will recommend Israeli President Reuven Rivlin tap Knesset Speaker Yuli Edelstein to form a government."

"We need to tell him, 'You're the Knesset Speaker, it's all on your head.' Because he's the Knesset Speaker, I'm not getting into the Likud's internal conflicts. I very much hope and believe that if the President taps him, he will make the correct choice. We need a lot of courage in the different parties in order to believe that maybe this is the only option which will prevent us from holding third elections - and we need to compromise on a lot of ego."

Barlev also said he has not discussed his initiative with Edelstein himself.

"We respect MK Omer Barlev very much, but this is his personal idea," the Labor party said in a statement. "The Labor party stands by its commitment to only sign [coalition agreements] with [Blue and White Chairman] MK Benny Gantz."

At a Shabbatarbut event in Be'er Sheva, Blue and White's MK Ofer Shelah claimed that Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu is working to bring about new elections, and that the situation is his fault.

"Netanyahu is the only person responsible for the fact that we are on the brink of new elections," he said. "We have done everything in order to create a government, and not be dragged to new elections. But from the first day, Netanyahu aimed only for another round of elections."

"The Likud's negotiating team did not budge from its three demands: That Netanyahu be first in a rotation, that he have his 'immunity bloc' of 55 MKs, and no changes to what is important to them especially in the areas of the rule of law and religion and state. This wasn't negotiations, it was a game of time and blame."

Blue and White has refused to budge from its own demands, that Gantz be first in a rotation, that Netanyahu abandon the 55-MK bloc who agreed to negotiate as a group and support Netanyahu's bid for premiership in an attempt to bloc Gantz.

On the issues of religion and state, the Left - despite is claims to the contrary - would have given the haredim "everything they want and more."