Change Block to meet Sunday; Yamina MK confident no more defections ahead

T. Belman. I am encouraged by this. These MK’s are staunch right-wingers and have their life at stake here. The fact that they could be won over tells me that they know things that we have no idea about. I happen to know also something that makes this whole thing understandable and more acceptable.

PM-designate Bennett meets with party members to counter Likud pressure to rebel; Yesh Atid, Yamina reject Knesset speaker’s demand to release still-unofficial coalition agreements

By TOI STAFF       Today, 2:22 pm

  • Israelis demonstrate in favor of the so-called "change government" outside the home of Yamina party leader Naftali Bennett in Ra'anana, on June 4, 2021. (Avshalom Sassoni/Flash90)

    Israelis demonstrate in favor of the so-called “change government” outside the home of Yamina party leader Naftali Bennett in Ra’anana, on June 4, 2021. (Avshalom Sassoni/Flash90)

  • Yamina MK Ayelet Shaked arrives for a meeting with Yamina party leader Naftali Bennett and fellow Yamina MKs, at Bennett's home in Ra'anana, on June 4, 2021. (Avshalom Sassoni/Flash90)

    Yamina MK Ayelet Shaked arrives for a meeting with Yamina party leader Naftali Bennett and fellow Yamina MKs, at Bennett’s home in Ra’anana, on June 4, 2021. (Avshalom Sassoni/Flash90)<
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  • Yamina MK Abir Kara arrives for a meeting with Yamina party leader Naftali Bennett and fellow Yamina MKs, at Bennett's home in Ra'anana, on June 4, 2021. (Avshalom Sassoni/Flash90)

    Yamina MK Abir Kara arrives for a meeting with Yamina party leader Naftali Bennett and fellow Yamina MKs, at Bennett’s home in Ra’anana, on June 4, 2021. (Avshalom Sassoni/Flash90)<
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  • Yamina leader and PM-designate Naftali Bennett speaks in a Channel 12 interview, June 3, 2021 (Channel 12 screenshot)

    Yamina leader and PM-designate Naftali Bennett speaks in a Channel 12 interview, June 3, 2021 (Channel 12 screenshot)<
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  • Yamina MK Idit Silman arrives for a meeting with Yamina party leader Naftali Bennett and fellow Yamina MKs, at Bennett's home in Ra'anana, on June 4, 2021. (Avshalom Sassoni/Flash90)

    Yamina MK Idit Silman arrives for a meeting with Yamina party leader Naftali Bennett and fellow Yamina MKs, at Bennett’s home in Ra’anana, on June 4, 2021. (Avshalom Sassoni/Flash90)

Prime minister-designate Naftali Bennett on Friday hosted members of his Yamina party in his Ra’anana home amid efforts to consolidate the support of all the party’s MKs for the emerging “change coalition” with the center and left, amid ongoing efforts by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to peel away defectors.

Also Friday, Bennett and Yesh Atid party leader Yair Lapid called a Sunday evening meeting that will see the heads of all eight factions of the emerging “change government” meet together for the first time.

After the Yamina meeting ended, Yamina MK Abir Kara said it went “great.” He expressed confidence that Bennett had managed to prevent any further potential defections from the party — including by MK Nir Orbach, who is reportedly on the fence — and could even manage to bring rebel MK Amichai Chikli back into the fold. Chikli has vowed to oppose the proposed government.

“Bennett managed to keep everyone around him. Maybe we can get Chikli. I think it would be better for him to come with us too because he is another strong right-wing finger that can give us more strength and weight and be on the side that makes an impact,” Kara said.

The Bennett-Lapid coalition numbers 61 MKs in the 120-member Knesset, meaning that a single defection could prevent it from winning the parliamentary vote of confidence in needs to take power: Yesh Atid (17 seats), Blue and White (8), Yisrael Beytenu (7), Labor (7), Yamina (6 of its 7 MKs), New Hope (6), Meretz (6) and Ra’am (4).

Channel 12 news reported Friday that Orbach will announce his intentions at the beginning of next week.

Yamima MK Amichai Chikli (Olivier Fitousi/Flash90)<

The meeting came after protests were held outside the homes of Yamina No. 2 Ayelet Shaked and Orbach, in a campaign said to be orchestrated by incumbent Netanyahu to sway them away from the “change government.”

Hundreds took part in rallies outside their homes on Thursday night, a day after Yesh Atid party leader Yair Lapid officially declared that he could form a government. If formed, it would end the premier’s run of 12 consecutive years in office and relegate his Likud party and allied factions to the opposition.

On Friday, counter-protesters also showed up to support the new coalition — which will first be led by Bennett and then, from August 2023, by Lapid — holding up a banner reading: “Yes to a change government.”

Netanyahu’s Likud is also to meet Sunday. Netanyahu has urged all right-wingers in the “change coalition” to abandon it, and instead back him.<
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“I am sure that all Israeli citizens will miss Netanyahu, both on the left and on the right, his leadership and his amazing actions that have maintained Israel’s security,” Likud MK Miki Zohar told Radio 103FM.

Knesset Speaker Yariv Levin, also a Likud MK, publicly demanded that Lapid and Bennett immediately release the full text of the coalition agreements, which have remained unreleased as negotiations are expected to continue until the swearing-in.

The Yesh Atid and Yamina parties rejected the demand, saying in a joint statement that the agreements would be released to the public once they are finalized and signed.

Likud retorted with a tweet: “What do you mean ‘after they are signed’? You signed. Stop lying to the public.”

Coalition agreements only have to be published in full once they are submitted to the Knesset.

According to the still-unofficial coalition agreements, Lapid and Bennett agreed to allow additional parties to join the coalition after it is sworn in without the approval of all coalition parties, with Bennett’s goal being to get one of the ultra-Orthodox parties to join, the Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper reported Friday.

In their statement, Yesh Atid and Yamina also called on Levin to convene the Knesset plenum immediately to allow the approval of the new government.

On Thursday morning, the “change bloc” parties submitted 61 signatures, demanding a vote on a new Knesset speaker early next week. The move was intended to prevent Levin from stalling on a vote of confidence in the new government and to ensure that it happened next week, rather than the week after that.

Orbach’s signature had apparently been given to his party’s leaders, but on Thursday he quickly moved to withdraw his support. The Arab majority Joint List, which is not part of the coalition, then moved to prop up the effort by adding its own six votes to the bid.

But Yamina and Yesh Atid quickly distanced themselves from the Joint List’s backing, saying it had not been sought. Though Islamist party Ra’am is part of the new coalition, the Joint List is seen as less palatable to many right-wing members of the bloc.

A photo montage shows the leaders of parties in the prospective “change government” that Yesh Atid chief Yair Lapid announced he can form on June 2, 2021. (Flash90)<
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Yamina then said it would only vote to replace the Knesset speaker once the government itself was approved.

As Knesset speaker, Levin can legally delay a vote on the new government for a week or more, giving Netanyahu’s Likud party more time to try to peel away rebels from the right-wing factions of the unity coalition.

June 4, 2021 | 7 Comments »

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7 Comments / 7 Comments

  1. AIPAC SUPPORTS THE NEW GOVERNMENT. WHAT?

    “AIPAC congratulated Yair Lapid and Naftali Bennett on Thursday “for assembling a broad and diverse coalition — spanning the political spectrum of Zionist and Arab parties — to form an Israeli government pending Knesset approval. The formation of this government just two weeks after Iranian-backed terrorists fired more than 4,300 rockets at innocent Israeli civilians further demonstrates the resilience of Israel’s democracy and its commitment to democratic values.

    “We look forward to further bolstering the bond between the US and Israel as the two democracies work in close partnership to advance our shared interests and values.”

  2. When one reads articles such as the one Adam posted and listens to Caroline Glick, one on the right, one can’t help but be dismayed. Me too.

    But to argue that all Yamina and New Hope MK’s are turncoats and weak-kneed is part of a smear campaign. I don’t buy it.

    The fact that this Government is acceptable to them gives me hope if not assurance. So what could Bennett and Sa’ar be up to? What is there in the coalition agreements that give them confidence that they can accomplish what they want or protects them from what they don’t want.

    Then there is this:
    Planned Lapid-Bennett security cabinet would have right-wing majority

    In what other ways are they protected?

    I believe that in joining this government, they are pursuing a right wing agenda. They haven’t gone over to the left.

  3. The column I just posted (“Nightmare for the Right”) was written by Dr. Limor Samimian-Darash

    Dr. Limor Samimian-Darash is a senior lecturer at the Federmann School of Public Policy and Government at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.

    It is published by Israel Hayom.

  4. A nightmare for the Right
    With just 19 “right-wing” lawmakers set to join the “pro-change” government, let us hope a genuine representative of the Right can be found somewhere in the city of Sodom.

    The so-called “pro-change” government is shaping up to be blatantly left-wing, yet there are those who continue to claim it won’t be such a bitter pill to swallow. After all, Yamina party head Naftali Bennett, New Hope leader Gideon Sa’ar, and even Yisrael Beytenu chief Avigdor Lieberman were once on the Right. Let us recall the balance of power in this coalition: nineteen lawmakers from “right-wing” parties and 42 from the Left. If we start with the nation-state law, we will recall that Lieberman has already switched to the other side. In other words, a majority of coalition members will support an amendment to the law.

    Follow Israel Hayom on Facebook and Twitter

    What about Labor party leader Meirav Michaeli’s appointment as transportation minister? What will become of current Minister Miri Regev’s plan for Judea and Samaria? The expectation that plan, which David Elhayani, the head of the Yesha Council, the umbrella organization of Jewish localities in Judea and Samaria, said “connects the settlements to the remaining parts of the country and creates sovereignty in practice,” will go forward is unrealistic, to say the least.

    What about the significance of the head of the Islamist Ra’am party heading the Knesset’s Internal Affairs and Environment Committee, which deals not only with local authorities and their budgets but issues pertaining to the entry to and exit from Israel? One can already see a “tormented” Yamina’s Ayelet Shaked trying to prevent the entrance of an anti-Israel activist as Ra’am argues the counterpoint at a committee meeting. What about the status of Jerusalem? The capital, just like the issue of settlement affairs, no longer needs a special minister. Why would we provoke the sovereignty demons in the capital or on the Temple Mount? No construction, no worries, right?

    Let us not forget the announcement by Meretz’s Esawi Frej, who is set to serve as regional cooperation minister. He has promised to promote the establishment of a Palestinian state in his world travels. In perfect corporation with some painful concessions in the south – the cancellation of the Kaminitz Law [believed by some to target illegal Arab construction], the regulation of illegally established communities, and a multi-year budget of 52 billion shekels – this amounts to the reconquering of land alongside legal and budgetary institutionalization. Who needs a Palestinian state in Judea and Samaria when one is being established in the Negev?

    Yet all hope is not lost. Yesh Atid head Yair Lapid, Blue and White chief Benny Gantz, Michaeli, and Meretz party chief Nitzan Horowitz will all be members of the Diplomatic-Security Cabinet, and we can count on them to take on the legal attack on Israel at The Hague. This will happen at the same time as Michaeli stops the transfer of funds to Hamas and starts negotiations to restore the Palestinian Authority to power in the Gaza Strip. As for the Iran nuclear deal, there are no words. Is there any chance those who supported the terrible deal will oppose the “amended” new deal?

    Nevertheless, there must be some “right-wing” achievement? After all, both Shaked and Sa’ar will be in the government. Shaked’s “achievement” of securing half a term in the Knesset’s Judicial Selection Committee will likely conclude with the appointment of Attorney General Avichai Mendelblit and former State Prosecutor Shai Nitzan to the Supreme Court. This within the framework of the ongoing surrender to the High Court of Justice on the conversion law, the continued cancellation of Basic Laws, and ultimately, the cancellation of the Law of Return.

    And yet, there’s still hope. If only they find a genuine right-winger somewhere among the plethora of “right-wing” parties in Sodom.

    Subscribe to Israel Hayom’s daily newsletter and never miss our top stories!

  5. From Israel Hayom:

    A nightmare for the Right
    With just 19 “right-wing” lawmakers set to join the “pro-change” government, let us hope a genuine representative of the Right can be found somewhere in the city of Sodom.

    The so-called “pro-change” government is shaping up to be blatantly left-wing, yet there are those who continue to claim it won’t be such a bitter pill to swallow. After all, Yamina party head Naftali Bennett, New Hope leader Gideon Sa’ar, and even Yisrael Beytenu chief Avigdor Lieberman were once on the Right. Let us recall the balance of power in this coalition: nineteen lawmakers from “right-wing” parties and 42 from the Left. If we start with the nation-state law, we will recall that Lieberman has already switched to the other side. In other words, a majority of coalition members will support an amendment to the law.

    Follow Israel Hayom on Facebook and Twitter

    What about Labor party leader Meirav Michaeli’s appointment as transportation minister? What will become of current Minister Miri Regev’s plan for Judea and Samaria? The expectation that plan, which David Elhayani, the head of the Yesha Council, the umbrella organization of Jewish localities in Judea and Samaria, said “connects the settlements to the remaining parts of the country and creates sovereignty in practice,” will go forward is unrealistic, to say the least.

    What about the significance of the head of the Islamist Ra’am party heading the Knesset’s Internal Affairs and Environment Committee, which deals not only with local authorities and their budgets but issues pertaining to the entry to and exit from Israel? One can already see a “tormented” Yamina’s Ayelet Shaked trying to prevent the entrance of an anti-Israel activist as Ra’am argues the counterpoint at a committee meeting. What about the status of Jerusalem? The capital, just like the issue of settlement affairs, no longer needs a special minister. Why would we provoke the sovereignty demons in the capital or on the Temple Mount? No construction, no worries, right?

    Let us not forget the announcement by Meretz’s Esawi Frej, who is set to serve as regional cooperation minister. He has promised to promote the establishment of a Palestinian state in his world travels. In perfect corporation with some painful concessions in the south – the cancellation of the Kaminitz Law [believed by some to target illegal Arab construction], the regulation of illegally established communities, and a multi-year budget of 52 billion shekels – this amounts to the reconquering of land alongside legal and budgetary institutionalization. Who needs a Palestinian state in Judea and Samaria when one is being established in the Negev?

    Yet all hope is not lost. Yesh Atid head Yair Lapid, Blue and White chief Benny Gantz, Michaeli, and Meretz party chief Nitzan Horowitz will all be members of the Diplomatic-Security Cabinet, and we can count on them to take on the legal attack on Israel at The Hague. This will happen at the same time as Michaeli stops the transfer of funds to Hamas and starts negotiations to restore the Palestinian Authority to power in the Gaza Strip. As for the Iran nuclear deal, there are no words. Is there any chance those who supported the terrible deal will oppose the “amended” new deal?

    Nevertheless, there must be some “right-wing” achievement? After all, both Shaked and Sa’ar will be in the government. Shaked’s “achievement” of securing half a term in the Knesset’s Judicial Selection Committee will likely conclude with the appointment of Attorney General Avichai Mendelblit and former State Prosecutor Shai Nitzan to the Supreme Court. This within the framework of the ongoing surrender to the High Court of Justice on the conversion law, the continued cancellation of Basic Laws, and ultimately, the cancellation of the Law of Return.

    And yet, there’s still hope. If only they find a genuine right-winger somewhere among the plethora of “right-wing” parties in Sodom.

    Subscribe to Israel Hayom’s daily newsletter and never miss our top stories!

  6. This week’s radio program by Walter Bingham on Arutz Sheva is a must-listen-to to grasp the magnitude of the “own goal” disaster that Israel has inflicted on itself by the formation of the supposed “national unity government.” This is the written text that Bingham wrote an an introduction to his broadcast:

    We installed a Trojan Horse in the highest echelon of government
    Will this government last even a year?

    We Have: A ‘Government of Change’ for the worse, in which every party pulls in a different direction.

    Hear: About Israel’s New President. Will he be able to take off his party-political hat?

    My: Personal rebuke of Naftali Bennett, who changed his political direction like a wind-vane and cheated his voters.

    27:40
    We Installed A Trojan Horse In The Highest Echelon Of Government

    Walter Bingham
    All About: The continuous pain suffered by our frontline citizens as a result of failed action in Gaza

    The: Inclusion of an Arab party in government is a serious miscalculation brought about by the eagerness to oust Netanyahu at all cost. Yes, he needed to be replaced, but the cost of the means will soon be shown to have been too high. We have a Trojan Horse in government and the Civil Service.

    What: Is our government hiding about the agreements among the parties? Why will they not disclose it to the Knesset? Did the Defense Minister promise the Americans a building freeze in Yehuda and Shomron?

    Is: The new clique going to fall for the Hamas approach for a disproportionate prisoner swap and give the 1,111 terrorists back?

    Why: Are the so-called Arab refugees so keen to change Europe into the oppressive Muslim regime that they left to have a better life?

    Plus: Hear how haredi, ultra-orthodox youth are leaving the fold but have difficulties to find their place in the secular world.

    And: More.

  7. Shades of Winston Churchill getting usurped after winning WW11 and saving England from the Nazis. Now peace with 4 Arab Countries, best vaccination results in the world, and economic boom. Fire the bum.