T. Belman. Hold your breath. Lieberman as Min of Defense means Yaalon out. Bibi may consider Yaalon a liability. On the other hand Lieberman would then be in charge of managing the territories. He favours construction in settlement blocs including Maalot Adumin and Ariel. I hope Bibi makes the deal.
INN reports late this afternoon “Netanyahu put Defense Minister Moshe Yaalon on notice that he may soon have to vacate his position.”
Defense ministry, death penalty for terrorists, pensions reforms: Yisrael Beytenu demands major concessions to join gov’t.
At the same time, however, Liberman for the first time publicly declared his openness to joining Binyamin Netanyahu’s government – as long as three key conditions would be met.
Those conditions, he told reporters at a press conference Wednesday morning, are: the defense ministry, the imposition of the death penalty for terrorist murderers, and pension reforms.
Liberman also struck back at claims he was staying in the opposition purely in order to harm his political rival Netanyahu.
“We never ruled out entering the government – but on our terms,” he insisted, while qualifying that he would be willing to compromise on certain issues such as those pertaining to religion and state – policies the haredi parties currently sitting in the coalition would find impossible to stomach.
“This is not personal,” he continued, asserting that he was acting purely “for the good of the country.”
“I heard many times in the media that they offered us (the) defense (ministry) and the death penalty… we never heard any such offer,” Liberman claimed.
If such an offer were to be made though, his party would certainly consider them, he added.
“If it is true that they are offering (the) defense (ministry), the death penalty and pension reform, that is indeed a respectable offer, and there is something to talk about. But we won’t conduct negotiations in the dead of night, or via secret deals.
“The prime minister has my phone number… we haven’t ruled out anything, but it needs to be serious. The prime minister hasn’t called me – our conditions are clear and well known.”
In recent weeks Netanyahu has intensified efforts to expand his government’s wafer-thin majority of 61 MKs in the 120-seat Knesset – a perilously narrow majority which has often hamstrung the government’s ability to legislate, and sometimes seen it held hostage to rogue, backbench government MKs.
Talks with the left-wing Zionist Union party – which holds 24 seats – have been ongoing but have faced fierce opposition from both Netanyahu’s Jewish Home party coalition partners, as well as from many MKs within his own Likud party. Many on the left flank of the Labor party – which together with Hatnua makes up the Zionist Union – are also opposed to joining a “right-wing government.”
Despite that opposition, the two are reportedly edging closer towards a deal.
Liberman’s six-seat Yisrael Beytenu party would give a more modest – but still very much welcome – increase to the government’s majority. However, it would also rule out threats by the eight-seat Jewish Home party to bolt the coalition if the Zionist Union receives its terms for joining the government.
Liberman – a former ally of Netanyahu – has since last year’s elections positioned himself as a right-wing alternative to the Likud, dramatically turning down an offer to join the government during initial coalition negotiations in 2015.
Netanyahu-Liberman Meeting Successful
By: Shalom Bear
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Yisrael Beytenu Chief Avigdor Liberman met today at 4 PM to discuss the possibility of Liberman’s party joining the coalition.
According to reports the meeting was successful, and both sides will be setting up negotiation teams to finalize the terms of Liberman joining the coalition. The two sides hope to conclude negotiations by Friday.
Before the meeting Liberman set three conditions for entering the coalition, which he shared with journalists at a news conference Wednesday morning. The former minister of foreign affairs said his party would demand the defense portfolio, imposition of the death penalty for terrorist murderers, and pension reforms.
The Likud’s rumor mill is running full force, and it’s saying that Liberman will be getting the position of Defense Minister and Moshe Ya’alon will be getting the boot. Reportedly Netanyahu also offered Liberman the Aliyah (Immigrant Absorption) portfolio as well, to sweeten the deal. Ya’alon is very much out of favor within the Likud these days as he hasn’t stopped running off his mouth with a range of statements that have angered much of the Likud’s rank and file, even causing PM Netanyahu to call him onto the carpet the other day.
Update: PM Netanyahu spoke with Defense Minister Ya’alon and informed him that Liberman had accepted the position of Defense Minister if he joins the coalition.
Labor chief Yitzchak Herzog is also facing problems, and if it looks like Herzog failed or got played by Netanyahu, he could be facing a putsch within his own party.
http://www.jewishpress.com/news/breaking-news/netanyahu-liberman-meeting-successful/2016/05/18/?pushcrew_powered
Fat Lady is clearing her throat.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4804858,00.html
Ted my comment was Botted pls retreive and post
Liberman accepted PM’s offer, say Yisrael Beytenu officials
Netanyahu tells Yaalon that Liberman has asked for Defense Ministry. Yisrael Beytenu officials say Liberman accepted coalition offer.
Also most interesting is the following which asserts that Bibi wanted Lieberman and Herzog all the time.
The timing of today’s sudden breakthrough between Liberman and Netanyahu lends credence to claims by Jewish Home officials that talks with Zionist Union officials were in fact a ruse, part of a larger plan to bring Yisrael Beytenu into the coalition.
http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/212473#.Vzyf1-Qorv8
Bennett had said the below earlier in the day.
“We’re very satisfied with how things were handled with Herzog. The Likud coordinated it with us [the Jewish Home]; that’s why we were quiet about it the entire time. It was all carefully planned.”
Yisrael Beitenu chairman Avigdor Liberman has agreed to join Israel’s government if his demands are fulfilled.
The negotiations for enlarging the government coalition took a step forward today when Yisrael Beitenu chairman MK Avigdor Liberman declared that his party would join the government if it receives an offer that fulfills its demands. Following his declaration, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu invited Liberman for an afternoon meeting
http://www.jpost.com/Israel-News/Politics-And-Diplomacy/Liberman-Netanyahu-hasnt-made-coalition-offer-to-Yisrael-Beyteinu-but-if-he-does-well-listen-454271
Nothing is over until it is over (Yogi Berra I think) or until the Fat Lady sings but this smells like it has real possibilities.
Until Bibi and Ya’alon clashed Bibi would not have fired Ya’alon. However politically it is easy to fire Ya’alon now. One ever one says or thinks about Bibi he is a master politician.
Hopefully Lieberman if he finally gets the job he covets will do a responsible job. If he does he will potentially put himself for the job he ultimately has been seeking (Bibi’s). If he proves reckless well that will hurt Israel and him.
I hope that I will be forced to eat crow
Bear Klein Said:
wheres the evidence, how did he put him on notice, where is the citation for the source of the report… not even a citation of an anonymous source… perhaps BB wants us to think that he offered Liberman the job…. after all BB was forced into talking to liberman… he preferred the fake zionists as his partner… I wonder why?
Bear Klein Said:
again, no citation, no source nada, rien, bubkiss.
Bear Klein Said:
but in everyones mind the red herring will have accomplished its purpose… to make the right wing voters beleive that BB offered the position to Liberman… or had the intention to offer it….. and yet… before being forced to approach liberman BB was head over heels in love with Herzog. Unless pressure is maintained on BB he will float back to Herzog.
this report hardly pretends to be real… there is not quotation from the PM and no other source cited. DUH???? All it says is that the Netanyahu informed yaalon which was denied by yaalon spokesman, sounds like typical intentional disinformation.
Nothing is over until the fat lady sings. Will Bib offer Ya’alon the Foreign Ministry or will just let him resign if he is kicked aside if Lieberman gets the job he wants which is Defense Minister.
http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/212463#.VzyBAOQorv8
I dont think that BB wants to relinquish control of YS to anyone who will settle Jews…. remember he appointed Yaalon for that purpose.
One of those vague sources that intimate that which might never happen. It appears to me that BB was forced by his colleagues and constituents into making overtures to Liberman… but I dont beleive he wants that to happen. it is possible that the report is released to make it look like BB was willing to give liberman the DM so that if BB goes with Herzog he can say that he offered liberman everything… thus blaming a move to Herzog on Liberman.