Netanyahu to Meet Finance Chief on Sunday in a Bid to Avoid Early Elections

15:43 GMT, 17 November 2018

On Friday, Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu warned against holding early elections after sources close to the country's education minister said that coalition heads would agree on an election date on Sunday.

Sputnik

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Saturday that he has plans to hold a meeting with Finance Minister Moshe Kahlon on Sunday in order to avert early elections and save his ruling coalition, Haaretz reported.

According to the prime minister, "if [Kahlon's party] Kulanu doesn't leave the government, there is a government. Kulanu can't bring down the right-wing government."

Netanyahu's Right-Wing Cabinet Splinters Over Temporary Gaza Ceasefire

15 November 2018, 09:00 GMT

In a Twitter post, he stressed that all Likud faction members wanted "to keep serving the county for another year", specifying further that they wanted to remain until November 2019.

On Friday, the prime minister met with Education Minister Naftali Bennett and declined his request to be appointed defense minister stressing that it would be a challenge to get the coalition's approval.

The move came after Israeli Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman announced on November 14 his resignation and the withdrawal of his right-wing Yisrael Beiteinu party from the ruling coalition headed by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu after a severe disagreement over a Gaza ceasefire deal.