Report: Eisenkot and Bennett met to discuss merger but have decided against it for now

Channel 12 provides a series of political updates ahead of Tuesday’s filing deadline for parties planning to run in the upcoming election.

The network reveals that Yashar chief Gadi Eisenkot and B’Yachad chair Naftali Bennett met last weekend at the latter’s home in order to discuss a potential merger.

On the one hand, Eisenkot likes the idea of heading a party that is overwhelmingly larger than any other one in the anti-Netanyahu bloc, with the logic being that it would prevent Bennett or Yisrael Beytenu chief Avigdor Liberman from demanding the premiership after the election.

On the other hand, Eisenkot saw the results of Bennett’s merger with Yesh Atid chief Yair Lapid, which were not particularly encouraging. B’Yachad has been polling well below what the two parties were receiving on their own before they decided to merge earlier this summer.

The poor showing for B’Yachad has led to mass resignations in Yesh Atid of serving legislators who see no chance of retaining their seats, with the latest being MK Michal Shir.

Channel 12 says a decision on an Eisenkot-Bennett merger will be made at the last minute, though it is currently less likely to happen.

Eisenkot’s Yashar is slightly ahead of, or neck-and-neck with, Netanyahu’s Likud in recent polls, and both men would like to lead the biggest party in Israeli politics, which could help when President Isaac Herzog has to decide who has the best chance of building a governing coalition after the elections.

Meanwhile, Benny Gantz’s Blue and White party has announced that it plans to remain in the race until the end, hoping to pick up some supporters of Gilad Erdan’s Unity Party, which declared earlier today that it was bowing out of the race due to lack of backing.

Gantz’s party is still polling consistently below the electoral threshold.

Channel 12 also reports that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud party has offered one of his reserved spots to former member and finance minister Moshe Kahlon. However, Kahlon has decided to stay out of politics for the time being, the network says.