JERUSALEM POST
Lapid, Bennett hope to form government within a week
by Gil Hoffman
May 5, 2021

Yesh Atid leader Yair Lapid and Yamina chairman Naftali Bennett intend to engage in marathon talks to form a unity government beginning Thursday after President Reuven Rivlin announced Wednesday night that he is entrusting Lapid with the second mandate to form a government. Lapid and Bennett wanted to form a government as soon as possible and believe it can be done within a week. They expressed concern that if they did not hurry, their efforts could be harmed by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, whose mandate ended Tuesday night without a coalition being formed and who is trying to sabotage the formation of a government that would replace him. READ MORE

ISRAEL HAYOM PM warns of ‘dangerous’ left-wing rule as president picks rival to form government “It … became clear that Yair Lapid has the possibility to form a government that will win parliament’s approval, but there are many difficulties,” President Rivlin says as he taps Yair Lapid with task of forming next government.

ARTUZ SHEVA Shaked: Bennett did everything possible to form a right-wing government Since the election, Naftali and I have worked very hard to form a right-wing government. This has been very, very difficult. It is possible to tell stories and fill the country with spin doctoring, but in the end Netanyahu was unable to form a right-wing government, due to opposition from Sa’ar and Liberman, and because of Bezalel’s stubbornness. From the beginning, Yamina’s seven seats were part of the right-wing bloc, without conditions and without boycotts.