Bayit Yehudi Chaiman Naftali Bennett is making common cause with his right-wing rival, Yisrael Beytenu chief Avigdor Liberman, in a bid to bolster both men’s bargaining position in coalition talks with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Channel 2 reported on Friday.
According to the network, Bennett and Liberman reached an agreement whereby the former would drop his demand to be named foreign minister – Liberman’s current position – in exchange for the latter’s assistance in obtaining other key portfolios while thwarting any attempt by Netanyahu to form a national unity government with the center-left Zionist Union.
The two nationalist politicians were vocal critics of Netanyahu’s handling of Operation Protective Edge, frequently second-guessing what they perceived to be the premier’s timid strategy in defeating Hamas.
According to Channel 2, Liberman is aiding Bennett’s quest to obtain the Religious Affairs Ministry, which is also being coveted by Shas chairman Aryeh Deri.
Netanyahu met with both men separately in Jerusalem on Friday, with Likud officials reportedly flabbergasted at what they deemed Liberman’s “illogical” demands.
The foreign minister spelled out his preconditions for Yisrael Beytenu’s entry into a Likud-led government – “liquidation” of Hamas and legislation mandating the death penalty for convicted terrorists.
Netanyahu, meanwhile, is aiming to cobble together a coalition that has the support of 67 parliamentarians. Such a government would include the ruling Likud, Bennett’s Bayit Yehudi, Liberman’s faction, Moshe Kahlon’s Kulanu, Shas, and the Ashkenazi ultra-Orthodox party United Torah Judaism.
Zionist Union head Isaac Herzog is closely monitoring the coalition negotiations. Sources told Channel 2 that he is anxiously awaiting the outcome of the talks so that he could go public with an official declaration effectively ruling out participation in a Netanyahu government.
@ SHmuel HaLevi 2:
@ NormanF:
@ SHmuel HaLevi 2:
@ Bear Klein:
I find myself in general agreement with all of you, referencing the current coalition negotiations, likely outcomes, and above all, the new and totally welcome development of Bennett’s and Liberman’s nationalist parties working together to make sure not only that both will be represented with cabinet ministries in Netanyahu’s new government, but also that they will work jointly to keep left-wingers out of the coalition and will also work to make sure Netanyahu does not deviate from the Jewish nationalist policy promises he made to the country before and even during the elections.
I agree also with the assessment that if he tries breaking up his own government yet again, in order to get right of unwanted coalition partners, that he will never again command anything approaching 30 out of 120 Knesset seats.
Hopefully too is that the following issues are clearly understood:
1) Nobody in the world will deploy military force either to stop Ayatollist Iran from developing and deploying nuclear weapons and using some of them against Israel, if that is part of their plan. Therefore, Israel alone must either destroy the Iranian nuclear enrichment facilities, or facilitate a regime change in the country by terminating the entire leadership in a single sustained round of carefully-targeted actions.
2) Israel can no longer dither over who controls Area C and East Jerusalem, and takes action to break up the Palestine Authority by establishing separate autonomous rule in all the Area A cities, by means of private and separate agreements negotiated with the leading hamulas and other important Arab families.
3) The next time either or both Hamas or Hezbollah begin attacking Israel again with a rain of rockets, Zahal must be sent in to utterly destroy their forces, accepting no truces or ceasefires without their surrender and Israeli occupation of their lands.
Arnold Harris
Mount Horeb WI
The coalition (national, right and religious) is what I predicted all along. I think the rumors of national unity have been floated for negotiation leverage for the Likud. Bibi no long trusts any of the left or “center” parties to be partners in a coalition. This is why he called for elections. He did not call for elections to partner with the same people he was running from.
Yes, Bibi made the bad mistakes of partnering with Livni but he no longer wants her to be a partner in his government.
@ NormanF:
I agree with you. Yet, Netanyahu knows he will loose any further elections. He also knows that the likud won by a decision of voters desiring to send a mule kick to yeine fellow overseas, not because of Netanyahu’s appeal or character. Netanyahu was about to loose the last election by about two mandates.
Does anyone know what is Lapid up to?
@ SHmuel HaLevi 2:
Netanyahu is being forced into a right-wing coalition. He wanted Labor on board as a fig leaf but he doesn’t have that and now we will see whether he’s prepared to pay the price his coalition partners want. The other alternative is fresh elections.
Interesting development. Netanyahu was, is and will be always leaning to be allied with Barak, Weinstein, Livni-Hertzog and such.
He has no self respect or the proverbial tools to deal with Iran or anyone else. He just CAVED again on the money to his partner Abbas.
Yet his plans are closely monitored within the likud as well as from the outside.