Economy Minister Nir Barkat opened a WhatsApp group with around 20 of Israel’s major retailers, asking them to lobby the head of Israel’s Competition Authority to allow them to coordinate prices in order to freeze price increases, Israeli media reported Wednesday evening.The group was closed for responses, and only Barkat, the admin, was able to send messages in the group, in order to prevent illegal collusion, according to media reports.The group included the heads of Israel’s largest retailers, such as Carrefour Israel, Yochananof, Shufersal, and more, according to Calcalist. This follows the Competition Authority’s opinion that a meeting to coordinate prices…