The coalition agreement that will send Israel’s 33rd government on its way is to be signed Wednesday night, sources in the Likud/Yisrael Beiteinu said, and it appears to be a great achievement for the Religious Zionist movement.
According to sources, Bayit Yehudi will receive three portfolios. Naftali Bennett will be Minister of Industry, Trade and Labor, and an MK from the party will be named Sports and Culture Minister. Bennett will also be given the Religious Affairs, Diaspora and Jerusalem portfolio. Uri Ariel will be the Minister of Construction and Housing and will be in charge of the Israel Lands Administration. This should be very good news for residents of Judea, Samaria and Jerusalem, because Ariel is unlikely to cooperate with any scheme for housing freezes in these areas, and will likely make every effort to increase construction there.
Bayit Yehudi will also head the Knesset Finance Committee, and possibly the Ministry of Elderly Affairs as well.
A deadlock over the formation of a government was broken after the Likud conceded the Education Ministry to Yesh Atid. Rabbi Shai Piron, number two on the Yesh Atid list, will be named Education Minister. Yair Lapid will be named Finance Minister. Yesh Atid will receive two more portfolios, the sources said: Yael German will be named Health Minister, and Ya’akov Peri will be named Science Minister.
Tzippy Livni will be Justice Minister, and Amir Peretz, number two on the Hatnu’a list, will be named Environment Minister.
A report on Channel One said that Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu will not name a deputy. It is not clear who will be appointed to run the government’s day to day affairs when Netanyahu is abroad.
Sources in the Likud said that the deal, while far from ideal, was somewhat better than had been expected. The Likud/Yisrael Beiteinu will retain the Interior Ministry, which had been a bone of contention between Yesh Atid and the Likud. The party will also retain the Foreign Ministry, which will be held “in trust” for Avigdor Lieberman, pending the resolution of his corruption trial.
Regarding the title of the article: “Ani Kol Kach Sameach Lishomoa et zeh”
yamit82 Said:
Electoral reform is also important. A 4% threshold is too low. I’d like it raised to 5% to eliminate the Arab fascist and the haredi parties. On my wish list would be a fixed six year term for the Knesset and the creation of single member districts alongside the PR list. Israel would get stable, effective and responsible governments. With all the challenges Israel faces, its too expensive to hold elections every three years. 33 Israeli governments in 65 years is a record exceeded only by Italy’s revolving door governments. Its time for a change!
yamit82 Said:
Netanyahu caved in the end since he knew he would lose a new election and he knew Bennett would get even better terms from a Prime Minister Lapid. In the short term, the government’s assault on Yesha continues as a gesture to Obama but in the long term, I’m an optimist about Israel’s future. Why? Quite put simply, Netanyahu’s loss is Israel’s gain!
Report: Uri Ariel to Receive Israel Lands Administration
Bennett is reported to have told Lapid that if he didn’t agree to compromise he would join the Government. It’s reported that the threat moved Lapid to finally agree. So BB owes Bennett.
I did predict that BB would cave to pressure and basic math. He never had the numbers unless he was able to break the Bennett/Lapid Pact.
I can’t know for sure but I believe Bennett did extract some agreement from Lapid for a quid pro-quo down the line, sort of a political IOU. Lapid will also need a lot of support from Bennett in the reforms he intends to implement especially since Bennett will control the finance committee of the knesset and two other major financial ministries. Getting the Israel Lands authority back in the housing ministry is a real coup as that’s where the power is. Getting the religious ministry will shut out the haredim from the spoils system jobs in the religious ministry and control over judges in the religious courts along with Chief Rabbinate.
The Likud has three of the top 4 portfolios. PM, FM, DM. and Speaker of the Knesset Yuli Edelstein. BB has made a lot of enemies inside the Likud, knives are being sharpened and his image nationally never highly favorable in Israel has really sunk.
When Obama meets BB he will meet an Israeli PM much weakened compared to the BB of the Last government. Sometimes weakness is actually a strength, ask Abbas.