The report came after Yesh Aitd came to agreements with Labor for the Diaspora Affairs portfolio.
BY GIL HOFFMAN, JPOST MAY 28, 2021 22:50
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu chats with Naftali Bennett in the Knesset
Yamina leader Naftali Bennett agreed to forming a coalition government with Yesh Atid head Yair Lapid, N12 reported.
The two sides agreed that Bennett will serve first as prime minister until September 2023, when Lapid will take over until November 2025, according to N12. The swearing-in ceremony is expected to take place in 10 days, following an announcement of the new government either on Saturday night or Sunday.
This came following Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s attack on Bennett on Friday, accusing him of rejecting a right-wing government and instead seeking to become prime minister of a “government of the Left.”
In a three minute video released on social media, Netanyahu revealed that Likud and Yamina negotiators had reached what he called a far-reaching agreement, but Bennett refused to sign it. The agreement would create a coalition of 59 MKs, two less than is needed. Bennett has declined to form a minority government and urged Netanyahu to find two defectors.
“Naftali Bennett is running to the Left,” Netanyahu said. “This goes against all their principles and promises and everything necessary to guarantee the future of our state.”
Netanyahu noted that during Operation Guardian of the Walls, Bennett and his number two, MK Ayelet Shaked, ruled out a government of change. He warned that Bennett and Shaked were endangering the country, the land of Israel and the IDF.
“Either it was a show or they have no principles,” he said.
Netanyahu said it was not too late to reject Lapid’s offer to replace him.
Earlier on Friday prior to the report, Lapid said that despite his meeting the day before with Bennett, he did not know whether he would succeed in building a coalition by the time his mandate to form a government from President Rivlin will expire on Wednesday night. Lapid’s meeting with Bennett raised speculation that a government of change that would replace Netanyahu was on the way.
“I don’t know if we’ll form a government or not,” Lapid wrote on Facebook. “We’re leaving no stone unturned, doing everything we can but it doesn’t just depend on us.”
Lapid said what he did know was that even if he had many more seats than the 17 Yesh Atid won, he would try to form the unity government he was trying to build now with the same partners, from the right, left and center, which he said sends a message that different sectors of society do not hate one another and want to work for the greater good.
“Even if Yesh Atid had 40 seats, even if Netanyahu wasn’t there, it would still be the government we need,” Lapid wrote. “It’s the government the people of Israel need and the State of Israel needs, we need it like air to breathe.”
He said Israel needs a government in which Bennett and [Meretz leader] Nitzan Horovitz work together to improve the healthcare system, [New Hope chairman] Gideon Saar and Labor head Merav Michaeli work together to reduce social gaps and [secularist Yisrael Beytenu leader] Avigdor Liberman and [religious Zionist Blue and White minister] Chili Tropper find solutions together that allow Israel to be a Jewish state that respects the principle that religion cannot be coercive.
“I have reservations, of course, including the number of ministers that it looks like we’ll have, and the issues we’ve decided not to touch in the first year or two until we can bring about some stability,” he wrote. “But still given all the options, this is the one I’d choose. I’d choose it because we need a government with religious and secular together, where left and right combine with a large national liberal centrist bloc, where Jews and Arabs who think and say loudly that they believe in coexistence, living here together and in the rule of law sit together.”
To supporters of Netanyahu, Lapid wrote that it was important to remember that in a lively democracy sometimes the leadership changes.
“Compromise isn’t a dirty word but the basis of shared existence,” he wrote. “People who think differently from us aren’t enemies and don’t want to harm us (and they’ll be the first ones to stand by our side against our real enemies – Hamas, Hezbollah, Iran). If we do form this government then in six months there will be people who will be surprised to discover that it hasn’t made Israel less Jewish or less Zionist, it’s just reduced the level of violence and anger, brought about growth and prosperity and reminded us that we’re better than what we have now.”
Labor and Yesh Atid announced on Friday that they had finalized a coalition agreement.
Labor leader Merav Michaeli is expected to be appointed transportation minister and MK Omer Bar-Lev will be public security minister, a post once held by his father, Haim Bar-Lev.
The third portfolio given to Labor will be Diaspora Affairs, which Lapid had intended to merge back into the Foreign Ministry that he would head if a government is formed.
Labor has not revealed its candidate for the third portfolio, but it could be MK Emilie Moatti or MK Gilad Kariv. A new department for advancing religious pluralism would be created in the ministry.
The agreement includes steps to strengthen the police force, stop crime in the agricultural sector and fight traffic accidents.
Michaeli would be a member of the judicial selection committee. Six judges are set to be appointed to the Supreme Court over the next four years.
Jerusalem Post Staff contributed to this report.
It is true that these statesmen have unbalanced their priorities due to these past grievances against Bibi, but this is not a soccer match where the team wishes to upset the trust in a coach by throwing a match. Hamas, Hezbollah, Syria, Jordan, IRAN, Obama’s 3rd term. These are the enemies that must be faced and fought. No one on the Right. It is the adoption of these unwise standard that cost the state many significant victories in the final two years of Trumps term while they tended to their egos.
But, in fairness to these men who hold such petty slights as “he lied/marginalized/attacked me” to be the most paramount of subjects before the state, it must be accepted as truth that the whimsical nature of the electorate was well informed of the intransigence that these many ‘statesmen’ you list would adhere to. No principle stands so great in their mind as the removal of Bibi, and so their support with the electorate should increase many fold as this hodge podge gov’t of non-Zionist, Leftists, non-State supporters come together to crown this warrior of the Right.
Sarcasm aside, there is no principle in this action. None. It is petty, reproachable, and regretful but such standards were certified by the electorate. Of course, when they said anything but Bibi, I doubt the electorate anticipated the many and varied new members of the coalition chosen to achieve this great goal. It would be interesting to see if the electorate would reward these ‘statesmen’ with greater support given these more recent events. But these ‘statesmen’ are clearly too wise of the reality that they are attempting to create to do anything that would require anything so foolish as to place themselves before the electorate. And so, after only days of having faced off the riots and rockets, the Left and the Arabs are likely rise to power. May this ruinous endeavor be short lived so that the damage they create may not be beyond repair.
Actually in Hebrew Saar has turned via twitter Bibi’s rotation offer. So nothing is over until its over but it looks quite possible that a wide government will be formed with very divergent parties ranging from the far left to the right.
On Channel 12 the political analyst says Saar, Gantz, Bennett do not believe Bibi’s various offers of them to be PM in a rotation government as their is very little trust in what he says. That is the bottom line in why Bibi is unable to form a right wing government after 4 elections he simply not deemed trustworthy to keep his word.
Likud had offered Saar to be Prime Minister first in a Three Man rotation, with Bibi second and Bennett third. Yamina and Bennett had said it would be acceptable to them.
Trouble is Saar refuses any deal it appears that will allow Bibi to remain Prime Minister. New Hope (Saar) is meeting with Lapid (Yesh Atid) to negotiate a coalition deal. So it has not been finalized yet. As Yogi Berra said, “it ain’t over until its over”.
So unless Bibi agrees to step down permanently Saar will not agree to a right-wing government. That is the reality. People are blaming Bennett but here is the list of party heads who for personal distrust distrust reasons and not ideology refuse to sit with Bibi based on being on marginalized, lied to and attacked in the past including in very personal ways including attacks on their wives.
Liberman,
Lapid,
Saar
Gantz
Bennett (he would reluctantly but none of the above would).
If any of the above plus Bennett would agree to sit with Bibi as PM again their would be a right wing – religious government.
The Likud is ruled by Bibi as if it his personal fiefdom. In my view this needs to end for the good of the country. I do not like the idea of a government with Meretz as part of it and and Arab party propping up the government. That said, Israel has not had a budget forever and it needs one to operate. New elections at this point probably would not change anything so they are just more divisive and very costly.
So a government with Bennett as PM, Lapid as Foreign Minister, Saar as Justice Minister, Gantz as Defense Minister will have to do. Liberman as Finance is frankly truly scary. Arabs propping up the government will not work as soon as their is a crisis.
For this government to last it will need to get the support of one or both of the Haredi parties either within the coalition or supporting it from without. They will not join to start with. For getting support for Yeshiva’s and having influence on draft laws it is very probable they would join or support the government in some fashion.
@ adamdalgliesh:
It is an abomination. Bennett stands ready to do for the Left what countless fake charges and propaganda ploys could not achieve – Leftist and non-Zionists cobbled together and held fast by the glue of non-State supporters helping to arrange a gov’t under the direction of a man who is determined not to face the wrath of an electorate which clearly opposes his actions here. If Bennett is willing to see the Left and non-Zionists rise over the will of any fair analysis of this election, only to gain himself the Prime Mistership, it begs the question what might he not sacrifice to maintain such a role? It is a golem fashioned from Bennett’s ambition, pregnant with ruin for the state as our enemies rise all about us and Obama’s third term stands ready to extract vital concessions while aiding our foes. He should not do this.
From today’s Arutz Sheva. This is truly the “Night of the Living Dead.”
Ironic thing is that if a unity government gets formed and it does not last long, a right-wing government may then come about without Bibi at the helm of the Likud. I think Nir Barkat will then emerge after a Primary win over Katz.
The Likud may get much larger because then Yamina and New Hope will likely get devastated at the ballot box because forming a government the Arab party plus Meretz support will leave a stain on their political reputations.
@ peloni1986:
Just for analysis purposes: The country needs a functioning government to implement a budget and makes plans in all the pertinent areas.
What Yamina and New Hope voters in large numbers have a hard time figuring out and accepting is can a government dependent on any Arab party be acceptable in the least. I agree with these voters and also do not believe such a government will last very long.
Katz of the Likud asked Bibi to step aside for a year and let him be the PM, this would have more than likely resulted in a right wing government without needing Arab party support. Bibi would NOT do it. Also he keeps attacking Bennett and Shaked and he is NOT realizing that he consistently pushes many many of his former Likud members away and making enemies of them. Also by lying in public on these matters consistently he is actually almost forcing this odd government to possibly coming into existence.
@ Bear Klein:
Yes, Bear, as you say, just a rumor thus far.
@ peloni1986:
It is a possibility for sure but no-one knows if it is an actual done deal.
@ Bear Klein:
I hope so. The reports do sound rather convincing, though. This is from Arutz Sheva
Meretz and Labor in the gov’t again… and with such a large Right-wing victory. And it was only a couple of weeks ago when he stated that the parties involved here could not stand against the Riots and Rockets. Only a couple of weeks ago. It does not sit well – forget the leadership. He should not do this.
Right now this a rumor.