Benny Gantz
Benny GantzIDF Spokesperson

Blue and White chairman and Defense Minister Benny Gantz revealed tonight (Thursday) in a zoom conversation with his party activists that he is still receiving proposals from Benjamin Netanyahu to serve first as prime minister and to form a government with the Likud.

"I received an offer to serve as prime minister as early as Sunday morning, and now two hours ago on my way here. I get offers like that every day," Gantz said. "We stopped Netanyahu and now another man is coming and he will be prime minister. We choose the long way."

Ahead of the inauguration of the new government this coming Sunday, the security arrangements of the designated prime minister, Naftal Bennett, have also been set.

At a Shin Bet preparatory meeting held today, Bennett was told that in the first phase, his children would not be given permanent security because it was not necessary. They may receive security at events or public places, but not regularly.

According to a report by correspondent Gili Cohen on Kan 11, Prime Minister Netanyahu's children receive regular security, and the Prime Minister's Office even pressed that even after the end of the prime minister's term, his children will continue to receive security for a full year.

As a result, when the new government is sworn in on Sunday, the outgoing prime minister's children will receive security while the new prime minister's children will not.

The Prime Minister's Office responded: "The prime minister and the Netanyahu family have nothing to do with security decisions made only by security officials."

The Shin Bet stated that it does not comment on such security arrangements.

Rabbi Aryeh Stern, the Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi of Jerusalem, issued a call for calm and expressed concern at the level of invective against Bennett.

"I was horrified in recent days to see harsh cries against the government that was formed," said Rabbi Stern.