The head of the New Right Party, Defense Minister Naftali Bennett, met Thursday with the Jewish Home-Tkuma chairman, Education Minister Rafi Peretz, to discuss the option of running in a unified bloc in the March 2 elections, Israel's Channel 12 reported.
Bennett formed New Right with former justice minister Ayelet Shaked in December 2018, after he left Jewish Home.
The merger is expected to go ahead even though a similar agreement between parties to the right of Benjamin Netanyahu's Likud during September 2019 elections yielded just seven Knesset seats.
The April 2019 elections saw Bennett's New Right fail to win enough votes to pass the 3.25% threshold and make it into parliament.
In the September elections, however, the party joined forces with Jewish Home-Tkuma and National Union to form Yamina (rightwards) and won seven seats, three of which went to New Right when the alliance disbanded after the elections.
On Wednesday, sources familiar with the matter told Channel 12 that Transportation Minister Bezalel Smotrich, the head of Jewish Home's partner Tkuma, is planning to lead his own joint bloc that would position itself to the right of the Likud.
According to the sources, Smotrich is considering all options, including running as a bloc with New Right.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu last week called on the heads of the right-wing parties to unite to run on a joint slate.
“Two lists could fall under the threshold and bring about a left-wing government,” Netanyahu tweeted.
The New Right replied: “We appreciate Netanyahu’s concern [but] we will continue on our mission.”