Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and Blue and White chairman Benny Gantz met together with President Reuven Rivlin at the President’s Residence on Monday.

Following the two-hour meeting, Rivlin said, “We made significant strides this evening. The first challenge now is establishing a trustworthy and direct line of communication between the two sides.”

Rivlin told Netanyahu and Gantz at the meeting that in his opinion the current situation of a transitional government is seriously harming Israeli citizens and the state’s ability to deal with its challenges. “The nation expects you to find a solution and avoid another election, even if you have to pay a personal price and maybe even an ideological one,” Rivlin said. “This isn’t the time for boycotts.”

Rivlin left the meeting at one point, leaving the two rivals to talk to each other privately for a half-hour. Netanyahu and Gantz are meeting again with Rivlin on Wednesday.

Despite Rivlin’s optimism about “significant strides,” toward unity, following the meeting both Netanyahu and Gantz reassured their partners that they’re remaining loyal to their principles. Netanyahu told the right-wing bloc that he emphasized at the meeting that he is representing the entire right-wing bloc and carrying out negotiations on their behalf. “I’m committed to what I promised you,” he told them.

Benny Gantz told his party members that: “As you know, I met the prime minister tonight at the President’s Residence at his request,” Gantz said. “There was much discussion about unity at the meeting, which has been our view from the day we were founded. I made it clear at the meeting that the path to unity must focus on the essential issues which we promised to the public who elected us.”

“The public chose change and we have no intention of conceding on our leadership, our principles or our natural partners on that path. Tomorrow, the negotiation teams of Likud and Blue and White will meet alone for a preliminary discussion.”

Later, Blue and White sources said: “Bibi is lying. He’s dragging us to a third election because he still believes he’ll receive 61 [mandates]. He knows we won’t sit with [Yahadus HaTorah chairman Yaakov] Litzman and [Yemina leader Betzalel] Smorich. It’s all a game.”

(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)