Free Republic

Yamina leader Naftali Bennett agreed to forming a coalition government with Yesh Atid head Yair Lapid, N12 reported. The two sides agreed that Bennett will serve first as prime minister until September 2023, when Lapid will take over until November 2025, according to N12. The swearing-in ceremony is expected to take place in 10 days, following an announcement of the new government either on Saturday night or Sunday.

After months of attacking each other and not speaking, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his nemesis, Yisrael Beytenu leader Avigdor Liberman, will meet on Thursday morning at the Prime Minister's Office in Jerusalem. Netanyahu repeatedly told Likud leaders that there is no point in speaking to Liberman, because the Yisrael Beytenu leader is determined to end the prime minister's political career. But after Blue and White leader Benny Gantz canceled a meeting with Netanyahu, he called Liberman on Wednesday evening. "There is no point in wasting the country's time," Netanyahu told Liberman. "We will meet and see if it is...

Hazan has been inviting the current and young leadership of the European parties to come to Israel, where he takes them to Jerusalem’s Old City and explains why he believes it cannot be divided. His regular itinerary for his visitors also includes the Jabotinsky Institute and Likud headquarters in Tel Aviv and the Menachem Begin Heritage Center and Yad Vashem Holocaust museum in Jerusalem. The 38-year-old has also been traveling to Europe to meet young politicians there, explain Israel’s policies, and defend the leader of the Likud, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. His meetings with politicians open doors to other opinion...

“The most important decision was to drive the electorate to two large parties,” Harow says. “We decided that if we create a situation where people have to decide who they want as prime minister, people will prefer Netanyahu over [ZU challenger Isaac] Herzog.” Therefore, the first slogan of the Likud’s campaign was “It’s us or them,” referring to Herzog and his running mate Tzipi Livni, whom the Likud’s polls found extremely unpopular. Shaviv advised Netanyahu from the start of the campaign to push what he called “reverse packaging.” The strategy was to persuade voters on the Right that rather than...