Talks between Yoaz Hendel’s Reservists party and an emerging alliance led by Blue and White chairman Benny Gantz and political newcomer Dedy Simhi have collapsed over disagreements about joining a possible future coalition with the ultra-Orthodox parties, according to Hebrew media reports on Sunday.

Hendel is now reportedly in advanced talks with former Blue and White MK Chili Tropper, who left Gantz’s party in May, as well as senior lawmaker Yuli Edelstein, who quit Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud party over the weekend and has been reported to be forming a new right-wing breakaway party from Likud along with former Likud minister UN Ambassador Gilad Erdan, and current Deputy Foreign Minister Sharren Haskel.

A Reservists spokesperson told The Times of Israel that there is no update on the party’s plans, saying that it has been holding “a series of meetings with various figures” in recent weeks while Hendel, a reserve battalion commander, remains on active duty and that “no decision will be made until he returns.”

Last month, amid widespread speculation that Hendel, Gantz, and Simhi were close to announcing a joint run, The Times of Israel reported that the negotiations had stalled over a fundamental disagreement between Hendel and Simhi over the possibility of joining a coalition that includes the ultra-Orthodox........

© The Times of Israel