Bennett meets with Netanyahu, as 2 sides said to have held secret talks for days

Naftali Bennett is meeting with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for the second day in a row, after the Yamina leader said his party supports the formation of a right-wing government with Likud but stressed that averting a fifth round of elections in two years is his overarching goal.

Yamina, which won seven seats, has been negotiating with Likud over the creation of a government following last month’s inconclusive election, the fourth in two years.

Even with its support, a coalition remains unlikely, as such a government would also need the support of Ra’am, a prospect rejected by Netanyahu’s allies in the far-right Religious Zionism party.

The meeting comes as negotiating teams from Yamina and Netanyahu’s Likud party have been meeting intensively in recent days in an attempt to reach an understanding, an unnamed source with knowledge of the talks tells the Kan public broadcaster.

The report says that Yamina also sent a message to Likud saying that if the vote to establish a key parliamentary panel goes ahead without coordination with Yamina, the party will join the opposition parties in the Knesset vote.