With Likud party efforts to cobble together a coalition so far coming up empty, party officials say they plan to do everything they can to convince New Hope leader Gideon Sa'ar to join a coalition government led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
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"We cannot understand Gideon Sa'ar. We have here a rare opportunity to establish the kind of stable, national unity government we have always hoped for with the Likud, Sa'ar, [Yamina party head Naftali] Bennett, the Religious Zionism [Party], and the Haredim [Shas and United Torah Judaism]."
They said, "Gideon Sa'ar is right-wing, his whole gang is [comprised of] former Likud members, members of the nationalist right. He must stop this foolish boycott. We have a right-wing, nationalist ideology to promote. This could be a huge springboard for him for the day after Netanyahu. Instead, he will now be crushed by [Yesh Atid Yair] Lapid and Bennett and join up with the left-wing bloc and disappear from the [political] map in a year or two."
On Monday, Shas leader Aryeh Deri announced he would recommend the president task Netanyahu with forming Israel's next government.
"Shas will act to establish a right-wing government headed by Netanyahu that maintains the Jewish character of the state and acts for the benefit of the weaker sectors of society, and calls on all right-wing parties, Yamina and New Hope in particular, to rise above all other considerations and joint a fully right-wing government led by Benjamin Netanyahu," he said.
Efforts were also underway to secure a 61-member majority coalition over on the anti-Netanyahu bloc.
Yesh Atid party head Yair Lapid met with Blue and White leader Benny Gantz, Sunday evening, to discuss the possibility of establishing a coalition government that sees Benjamin Netanyahu removed from the premiership.
Earlier Sunday, Lapid hosted Ra'am party head Mansour Abbas at his Tel Aviv home. The talks on establishing a coalition government were mediated by local authority heads from northern Israel's Triangle (Wadi Ara) region.
Asked whether Ra'am, which earned four Knesset seats in the most recent election, had entered talks with the various blocs in an interview with the Arabic-language Nas Radio, Abbas said direct talks that began ahead of the election were now ongoing.
In the Sunday morning interview, Abbas noted Ra'am was not in direct talks with the Joint Arab List, from which the party split last year.
Also on Sunday, Yisrael Beytenu party head Avigdor Lieberman announced he would recommend Lapid be tasked with forming a government.
On Facebook, Lieberman wrote: "As we committed to doing, we will recommend the chairman of the party from the "change" bloc that received the greatest number of Knesset seats" for the role of prime minister.
"Anyone who tries to thwart this process and puts their ego above national interests will bear responsibility for [Israel heading to] fifth elections. An exit from the political imbroglio requires all parties find creative, out-of-the-box solutions."
Lieberman further said that "with the signing-into office of the 24th Knesset, Israel Beytenu will submit a bill to limit a prime minister's term in office to two terms, a proposal Netanyahu supported in the past.
"Another law we will submit will require the resignation of the prime minister following the filing of an indictment, as was passed in a preliminary hearing in the 21st Knesset in May 2007 with the support of the Likud, including Benjamin Netanyahu, the Haredi parties, the Labor party …. And Meretz."
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