Gantz, Netanyahu meet again

Defense Minister and Blue and White leader Benny Gantz met once again with opposition leader Benjamin Netanyahu at the end of the last Knesset session, the latest in a series of recent meetings between the two party leaders.

According to a report on Channel 12 News, Netanyahu once again repeated an offer to Gantz that he ditch the current government and form a new one – as prime minister – with the Likud and right-wing, religious parties.

“You would be appointed prime minister, the coalition would be right-wing, but you would head it,” Netanyahu reportedly told Gantz.

The Blue and White leader for his part did not give any indication that he was interested in such a proposal.

The meeting follows several others between the two men over recent months in which Netanyahu has tried to tempt Gantz to abandon the current coalition and fulfill his ambition to be prime minister.

Likud MK and Netanyahu ally Miki Zohar told Channel 12 News on Friday that Gantz had “one, weak, chance to be prime minister and that is only if he comes with the Likud” and forms a government with them.

Fellow Likud MK Nir Barkat, however, said on the Meet the Press program Saturday night that he did not believe this was a positive strategy.

“The person who should be prime minister of Israel should be the head of the biggest party in the coalition,” said Barkat.

“You cannot enable a party with six or eight seats to lead the country. This is a mistake which we are seeing today. The person who leads the government needs strong public legitimacy.

“So I do not think Gantz should be prime minister, certainly not with just eight seats,” former mayor of Jerusalem Barkat said.

Asked, in the event that a primary election in the Likud for the leadership of the party would be called, he would run, Barkat declined to offer a clear answer.

“It’s not on the agenda at the moment,” he said noting that the Likud constitution provides for a leadership election six months before a scheduled election or once new elections are called.

“It’s not on the agenda so I’m not talking about [it],” he said enigmatically.