Netanyahu, Herzog hold secret meeting over unity government

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met secretly with opposition leader Isaac Herzog of the Zionist Union, according to an Israeli news report.

The meeting took place a few days ago, Israeli journalist Ayala Hasson of Israel’s Channel 1 reported Monday. No official coalition talks have been held between Netanyahu’s rightist Likud Party and the center-left Zionist Union.

Netanyahu told a senior Likud official in recent days that he has not ruled out forming a unity government, Haaretz reported, without naming the official.

Channel 1 reported that Netanyahu and Herzog met several days ago without telling close aides. Likud and Zionist Union denied that such a meeting took place.

It is believed that a unity government would signal to the United States and Europe that Israel is serious about a peace agreement with the Palestinians and would blunt Palestinian moves to bring Israel to the International Criminal Court.