As Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s coalition talks come down to the wire, Education Minister Naftali Bennett and Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked met in Tel Aviv to plan out their course should new elections be called.
Just days before the April 9 election polls were predicting that Bennett and Shaked’s New Right Party would win as many as six Knesset seats, but the party failed to meet the minimum voting threshold and were knocked out of the 21st Knesset.
After the stunning defeat, Bennet said that he would steer clear of politics for the near future; however, if the Knesset is dissolved and new elections are held, both he and Shaked are eligible to run.
According to a report by The Jerusalem Post, Shaked has already agreed to requests from inside Likud to explore the possibility of linking up with the party and running on the prime minister’s ticket in a new election.
Earlier rumors suggested Bennett had met with Yisrael Beiteinu head Avigdor Lieberman to discuss the possibility of joining his party, though Bennett denied these reports.
