Orly Levy-Abekasis, Alona Barkat said in talks to launch new party

Former Knesset lawmaker Orly Levy-Abekasis and Hapoel Beersheba soccer team owner Alona Barkat are in talks to launch a new party to run in the general elections on September 17, the Ynet news site reports.

According to the report, the party will have a female leadership and focus on pocketbook issues, similar to the Gesher party Levy-Abekasis headed in April’s elections.

Citing unnamed officials familiar with the matter, the news site says the talks are in too early a stage to make an announcement.

Levy-Abekasis, who was an independent MK in the last Knesset after quitting the Yisrael Beytenu party, failed to enter the Knesset following April’s vote as Gesher fell short of the minimum electoral threshold. Barkat was a candidate in the elections for the New Right party, which also failed to secure enough votes to enter the Knesset.