Israel's two largest parties meet Sunday for a first round of coalition talks, with Ofir Katz leading for Likud and Yoav Horowitz heading Eisenkot's team.
Negotiating teams from Likud and Gadi Eisenkot's Yashar! party are meeting on Sunday for their first discussion on forming Israel's next government.
The two parties, the largest to emerge from the recent election, have each named representatives for the talks. Likud is sending its Knesset faction chairman, MK Ofir Katz, together with attorney Michael Rabilo. Yashar! is represented by Yoav Horowitz and MK Chilli Tropper.
Horowitz, who has been appointed head of Yashar!'s negotiating team, previously served as chief of staff and acting director-general of the Prime Minister's Office. He is considered a former close associate of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and has extensive experience in government and public administration. Tropper is part of the supporting parliamentary arm the party has set up.
Katz is regarded as one of Likud's senior figures. Rabilo is a lawyer with experience in political negotiations.
In a further statement, Yashar! invited Likud to also bring MK Elisha Madan to the meeting. Madan was sworn in as a Knesset member a few days ago. He was seriously wounded in fighting in Beit Hanoun in the northern Gaza Strip and lost both his legs. He has announced plans to set up a protest tent outside the Knesset as part of a public call for a broad national unity government.
The meeting follows a public exchange between Netanyahu and Eisenkot. In a video statement, Netanyahu called on Eisenkot to set aside their differences and form a unity government to confront the Iranian nuclear threat and to resolve the issue of military conscription together with representatives of the chareidi public.
Eisenkot responded sharply on Saturday evening, saying a meeting between the negotiating teams had already been arranged. "The outgoing prime minister's media statement this evening, in which he called for a meeting for negotiations, is another spin," he wrote. "After all, Netanyahu knows such a meeting has already been set. It was set for tomorrow between the negotiating teams of Yashar! and Likud."
Eisenkot emphasized that his position on the makeup of the future coalition has not changed. According to reports, he is expected to propose that Netanyahu and Likud join a national unity government under his leadership, with no rotation agreement. The proposal taking shape within Yashar! would reportedly include a framework allowing Netanyahu to join the government and handle key policy issues, while Eisenkot would not give up the post of prime minister.
Alongside its talks with Likud, Yashar! is also negotiating with parties in the so-called change bloc. In addition to Horowitz and Tropper, the party's coalition negotiating team includes Dr. Yoram Turbowicz, an attorney and former chief of staff at the Prime Minister's Office, Yael Wolf Bar-El, head of policy and content at Yashar! and attorney Ronen Aviani.
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