Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Resilience party Chairman Benny Gantz met for eight hours on Saturday night in an attempt to form a national emergency government to cope with the coronavirus crisis and other challenges facing the country.
"Significant understandings and progress were achieved. During the day [Sunday] another meeting will be held with the aim of signing an agreement," the sides said in a joint statement.
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Earlier Saturday, Netanyahu and Gantz met together with a senior Resilience party member and former IDF chief Gabi Ashkenazi.
At the same time, negotiating teams for Likud and Resilience gathered at the prime minister's official residence in Jerusalem for marathon discussions into the night.
Israel Hayom has learned that the main point of disagreement between the sides pertains to the guarantees given to Gantz that Neytanyahu will indeed vacate the premiership in September 2021 in accordance with the rotation deal.
Gantz over the weekend said he was completely at peace with his decision to enter a national emergency government. The Resilience party brings 15 Knesset members to the new government, if and when it is established, and will receive 12 ministerial portfolios.
In other words, almost every Israel Resilience party MK will be a minister. Two other MKs who could receive portfolios are Zvi Hauser and Yoaz Hendel, who are currently exploring the possibility of leaving the Telem party, headed by Moshe Ya'alon. The now-defunct Blue and White faction had consisted of Israel Resilience, Telem, and Yair Lapid's Yesh Atid party. Ya'alon, for his part, has joined Lapid in refusing to join an emergency government.
Once the coalition talks between Likud and Israel Resilience are over, meanwhile, Netanyahu will still have to decide on the portfolio distribution.
His aides stressed on Saturday that despite inquiries by current ministers about their futures, Netanyahu himself hasn't dealt with the matter and won't do so until a coalition deal is finalized – at which point he will consider the number of portfolios he has available for his party and determine how to allocate them.
Currently the right-wing block holds 28 ministerial portfolios, but after splitting these ministries with the Israel Resilience party, the 58 MKs comprising the right-wing bloc will have to suffice with just 15 portfolios.
Likud MKs, who have the most mandates with 36, will have to accept a mere 10 portfolios, which has sparked a great deal of tension within the party and among its right-wing partners. Consequently, the possibility of implementing separate rotation deals for the Likud-held portfolios is also being examined.
As it stands, first in line in Likud to receive a portfolio are current ministers Israel Katz, Gilad Erdan, Yariv Levin, Miri Regev and Yoav Gallant. Justice Minister Amir Ohana, a favorite of the prime minister, is also expected to be on the list. Levin, a confidant of Netanyahu, is expected to receive the Transportation Ministry, which will apparently be taken from Bezalel Smotrich of the Yamina faction.
As for the Finance Ministry – Katz believes he deserves a prominent portfolio; former Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat is still holding on to the campaign promise that he will receive it; and Defense Minister Naftali Bennett, who will likely be removed from his current post, will apparently demand it.
It also appears likely that Rabbi Rafi Peretz of the Habayit Hayehudi party will have to vacate the Education Ministry. Interior Minister Aryeh Deri (Shas) and Health Minister Yakov Litzman (United Torah Judaism) are expected to remain in their current offices. MK Moshe Gafni, also of UTJ, will likely remain as head of the Knesset Finance Committee.
Israel Resilience is slated to receive the following ministries: Foreign, Defense, Justice, Communication, Culture, Agriculture, Economy, and Environmental Protection. It also stands to receive chairmanship of the Knesset's Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee.
According to reports, meanwhile, Resilience is expected to legislate a law to allow Netanyahu to remain in the government once Gantz becomes prime minister. Until now, ministers under indictment have not been able to serve, but this law will likely be changed this week.
Israel Resilience MK Avi Nissenkorn said, "According to the rotation deal, Netanyahu will be deputy prime minister, but he won't be able to hold a ministerial portfolio."
