Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu on Wednesday summoned the heads of right-wing parties in Knesset to his office to update them on stalled coalition negotiations between Likud and the Blue & White party.

The prime minister explained that talks with Blue & White have simply “exploded”, but he has not yet decided if he will continue his efforts to build a coalition or return the presidential mandate to President Reuven Rivlin, as without Blue & White, it appears that forming a national unity coalition is an impossibility.

Minister (Likud) Yariv Levin, who heads the Likud coalition negotiating team told the right-wing leaders of the breakdown in talks with Blue & White, pointing an accusing finger at Yair Lapid, who they blame for persuading party leader Benny Gantz to end talks as Lapid wants a coalition in which he and Gantz rotate the premiership while the current situation would result in Gantz and Netanyahu rotating the top post, not Lapid.

Among those who appeared in the Prime Minister’s Office for the one-hour meeting were former Minister (Shas) Ariel Atias, while Naftali Bennet of the New Right party opted not to attend ‘for personal reasons’. Ayelet Shaked, who headed the Yemina list in the recent election was present, and she lamented the fact that Gantz canceled the planned meeting with Likud negotiators. Minister Betzalel Smotrich and Deputy Minister Yaakov Litzman expressed their hope that the new year will bring about a unity coalition government. Minister (Bayit Yehudi) Rabbi Rafi Peretz stated he was hopeful that the new year would bring achdus, stating “There is no other message that we wish to spread except for achdus”.

MK (Blue & White) Yoel Hendel told Reshet Bet Radio on Wednesday morning, “A unity government is ideology from our perspective, and we said this before elections too. We come to these meetings and once again, we reveal that they do not wish to conduct negotiations, but this is shell for simply exchanging accusations.

(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)