Yamina leader Naftali Bennett announced on Sunday that he would work with the Left to form a government that would prevent another march to the polls after concluding that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu no longer has enough support to assemble a governing coalition.
"The fact is that Netanyahu has no government [to swear in]," Bennett said in a live address, adding that he would try to spare the nation from another election even if that means partnering with the Left.
The move paves the way for a new government to unseat Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, assuming all the parties opposing the prime minister strike a deal and pass a confidence vote in the Knesset in the coming days. It also remains to be seen whether some right-wing MKs in those parties choose to abstain or defect in protest of the unusual move.
Follow Israel Hayom on Facebook and Twitter
Bennett, who has reportedly already indicated his willingness to serve in a power-sharing deal with Yesh Atid leader Yair Lapid as part of an anti-Netanyahu coalition, had yet to publicly announce his decision, but the announcement on Sunday confirms that he was willing to join the left-wing parties as an alternative to another early election.
According to the emerging deal with Lapid, Bennett would serve as prime minister for the first half of the term, while Lapid for the second half.
If the deal is finalized, the swearing-in would likely take place next week.
Bennett said that a unity government with the Left was the only option. "Those who tell you that there is a right-wing government that's just waiting to be formed are fooling you; this is a lie," he said, adding that despite the unusual composition, the fact of the matter is that the prospective gov't with Yesh Atid and other parties on the Left would be "more right-wing" than the outgoing government.
"I will work tirelessly to form a unity government with my friend Yair Lapid in order to save the country from this tailspin [of elections]," he said in the speech. "We may be divided on key issues but we both share a love of this country and I will be honored to lead this country with him, together with New Hope leader Gideon Sa'ar."
He said the new government will "not be against any sector or against any group; it will have cabinet ministers that will care about things and will show up for work." He also said that right-wing ideology will not be threatened because both sides of the spectrum will wield veto powers.
Bennett's party faction convened for a special meeting on Sunday, and all party members present backed his decision. Only one renegade member, who has already said he would not support partnering with Lapid and effectively left the faction, boycotted the meeting.
According to people privy to the discussions in the meeting, Bennett provided the MKs with an explanation as to why he was exploring the possibility of forming a so-called "change government" despite being ideologically aligned with Netanyahu.
"The fact is that Netanyahu has no government [to swear in]," Bennett reportedly said. "We might end up with yet another early election, a fifth election and a sixth election," he warned, referring to Israel's successive four early elections in the span of two years as a result of neither bloc obtaining an outright majority in the Knesset.
Yamina later issued a laconic statement in which it said "all faction members backed Bennett in his efforts to form a new government and prevent a fifth election."
Likud, which has warned that a "change government" led by the radical Left is all but a done deal, attacked Yamina, saying: "During the recent conflict in Gaza, Bennett declared that the option of a left-wing government was off the table. Today, only a week later, and despite nothing having changed, Bennett is galloping toward a left-wing government by citing the excuse of preventing an election." According to Likud, "the excuse was just a means of distracting the Right ... He knows full well that if he joins the Right, a right-wing government will be sworn in. The only thing that is consistent with Bennett is the deception of his voters."
Subscribe to Israel Hayom's daily newsletter and never miss our top stories!
