Gideon Sa’ar, the head of the right-wing New Hope party, is weighing the option of signing a deal for a power-sharing government in which he goes first as prime minister, followed by Benjamin Netanyahu, the Haaretz daily reports.
The report says Sa’ar has softened his objection to any political cooperation with Netanyahu after Yamina leader Naftali Bennett last week backed down from efforts to form a government that would replace the incumbent premier.
The negotiations are said to be mediated by Religious Zionism chairman Bezalel Smotrich.
If confirmed, the development is a major shift for Sa’ar, who ran in the election on a staunchly anti-Netanyahu ticket.
New Hope sources deny the report, saying they’re “unaware” of any such offer by Smotrich.
Your next read: ToI Editors' Picks
LIMITED TIME OFFER: Join The Times of Israel Community today and you'll receive a physical book of your choice, carefully curated by our editors.
Choose between two must-reads: When We See You Again by Rachel Goldberg-Polin, a searing portrait of a mother’s grief and strength following unthinkable tragedy;
Or Out of the Sky: Heroism and Rebirth in Nazi Europe by Matti Friedman, the gripping and surprising tale of a forgotten moment during World War II.
As a Community member, you’ll also enjoy our DocuNation series of outstanding Israeli documentary films, an ad-free experience of our site and podcasts, commenting privileges, and more.
CHOOSE YOUR BOOK
CHOOSE YOUR BOOK
Already a member? Sign in to stop seeing this
You're a dedicated reader
We’re really pleased that you’ve read X Times of Israel articles in the past month.
That’s why we started the Times of Israel - to provide discerning readers like you with must-read coverage of Israel and the Jewish world.
So now we have a request. Unlike other news outlets, we haven’t put up a paywall. But as the journalism we do is costly, we invite readers for whom The Times of Israel has become important to help support our work by joining The Times of Israel Community.
For as little as $6 a month you can help support our quality journalism while enjoying The Times of Israel AD-FREE, as well as accessing exclusive content available only to Times of Israel Community members.
Thank you,
David Horovitz, Founding Editor of The Times of Israel
Join Our Community
Join Our Community
Already a member? Sign in to stop seeing this
From the Liveblog of
Tuesday, May 18, 2021
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on Google
