<p>Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s associates are making a last-minute effort to bring about a merger between Avi Maoz’s Noam L’Yisrael party and Bezalel Smotrich’s Religious Zionist Party, Kan Reshet Bet reported on Tuesday morning.</p><p>No substantive talks are currently taking place between Maoz and Smotrich, but Netanyahu’s associates are trying to persuade both sides that a merger would serve their interests. They have warned that running independently could prompt Maoz to withdraw shortly before the elections and that Likud’s campaign would prevent his party from gaining support.</p> | Read More in News from Israel