Lapid, Bennett make major headway in coalition talks: reports
Agreement said expected to be reached within days as Ra'am expected to back Lapid-Bennett govt
Yair Lapid, head of the Yesh Atid party and current holder of the mandate to form Israel's next government, and Yamina party chief Naftali Bennett have made major headway towards forming a coalition, Israeli media reported on Sunday.
According to a report by Channel 13, the parties could sign a coalition deal in the coming 24 hours, as per senior opposition sources.
Other insiders were less upbeat, however, telling the channel that the negotiations may take another week.
According to the Jerusalem Post, a government could be sworn in as early as on Thursday after Bennett spoke with Islamist Ra'am party chief Mansour Abbas.
On Monday, Bennett with meet Abbas again with Lapid, the newspaper adds, with Ra'am expected to become part of the coalition, albeit not holding any ministerial prospects.
As per Ynet, however, Ra'am will not be part of the government but will be supporting it from the outside, including by voting for it.
Ahead of the March 23 elections, Bennett rejected the prospect of sitting in a government backed by Ra'am, and now, his rivals on the Israeli right are pressuring him and his right-wing ally in the "change bloc" Gideon Sa'ar against joining the Lapid-led coalition.