The ruling Yamina party is in talks with another center-right coalition faction for the possible merger of the two parties, according to a report by Israel Hayom on Tuesday.
Citing a senior Yamina official privy to the details of the talks, the party is currently negotiating with the New Hope faction of Justice Minister and former Likud member Gideon Sa’ar, with the goal of forming a joint ticket in case the current governing coalition collapses and snap elections called.
Recent polls show the New Hope either below the 3.25% electoral threshold, or barely crossing it, while Yamina has polled only slightly higher.
The Yamina official cited in the report said that talks have proceeded slowly, owing to mutual mistrust. Such a union, the official said, would be based exclusively on political convenience.
“When Bennett speaks with his advisors about this possibility, he mentions more than a few reservations about binding his political future with that of Sa’ar. He isn’t even sure if Sa’ar will help him retain the premiership in a lame duck government if the Knesset is dissolved; [Sa’ar] might prefer to have Yair Lapid as prime minister during the election, so that Sa’ar can be at the top of a joint ticket – something that could never happen if Bennett remains prime minister.”
The official added that Bennett is upset with Sa’ar, accusing him of creating the current coalition crisis, due to his public venting of frustration over the failure to pass the Judea and Samaria Law.
The report comes after Yamina MK Nir Orbach announced Monday that he no longer considers himself a member of the coalition, and that he has formally launched talks aimed at establishing an alternative government in the current Knesset, and is holding talks with haredi Knesset members and the Likud.