February 2, 2019
RESILIENT DEMOCRACY?:
Gantz and Lapid in talks to unite, decision 'within 2 weeks,' says Yesh Atid MK (Times of Israel, 2/02/19)
A leading member of the centrist opposition party, Yesh Atid, said Saturday his party was holding talks with Benny Gantz's Israel Resilience party on the possibility of joining forces in the April 9 election. [...]Gantz formally launched his Israel Resilience party's election campaign last Tuesday, when he also announced an electoral alliance with fellow former IDF chief and ex-Likud defense minister Moshe Ya'alon.Polls released the day after showed Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's Likud leading with around 30 seats in the 120-member Knesset, followed by Israel Resilience with 21-24 seats. One survey indicated Gantz was polling neck-and-neck with Netanyahu as the public's preferred choice of prime minister.That same poll also said Gantz could defeat Netanyahu if he led an alliance with Lapid's centrist Yesh Atid -- with 35 seats to Likud's 30 -- though Lapid has not indicated he would be willing to be second in such a tie-up.Also on Saturday, a lawmaker from Likud said the party had made a mistake in going after Gantz.
Posted by Orrin Judd at February 2, 2019 10:27 AM