Following Yamina leader Naftali Bennett’s announcement on Thursday night that he has backed out of forming a government with Yesh Atid leader Yair Lapid, Channel 12 News reported that his decision came as a result of an ultimatum by Yamina No. 2 Ayelet Shaked.

Bennett said that his decision was due to the escalated security issues which rendered it impossible to rely on the support of the Islamist Ra’am party.

However, according to the report, the real reason was that Shaked told Bennett that if he doesn’t stop the talks with Lapid to form a government with the anti-Netanyahu bloc, she will leave the party, splitting up from her long-term partnership with the Yamina leader.

One Yamina MK, Amichai Shikli, had already announced that he will not support a unity government with Lapid, and if Shaked leaves, other party members will follow.

The report added that all the pressure is now focused on Gideon Sa’ar. Sa’ar, the chairman of the New Hope party who had joined Bennett in talks with Lapid, had adamantly refused to join a government headed by Netanyahu, even if the alternative was a left-wing government.

It should be mentioned that Shaked was adamantly against forming a government supported by Ra’am from the beginning and tried to convince the Chareidi parties to join a national-unity government instead. She only backed down after the Chareidi parties refused and it became clear that there was no other alternative except going to fifth elections.

(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)