[..]
Lapid, for his part, denies that it is a dispute as to which ministry he is awarded that is holding up the deal – and accused the Likud of cynicism for trying to spin the issue as such. “For two days they have been claiming that we are arguing over ministries, with the Likud claiming that Naftali Bennett and I are setting ‘ultimatums’ as our price for entering the coalition.
“This is incorrect, and it’s unworthy for the Likud to act in such a manner,” Lapid wrote on his Facebook page. The reason he has refused to join so far, he wrote, is because of the Likud’s insistence on adding “make-work” ministry jobs to satisfy the political ambitions of members of his party and Yisrael Beiteinu. Lapid has demanded that the government be limited to no more than 20 ministers, instead of the 33 in the current government.
“The argument is not about the ministries, but about the nature of the government,” Lapid wrote. “We want answers regarding the program to draft Hareidi yeshiva students. We want answers regarding the oversized government that the Prime Minister wants that will waste hundreds of millions of shekels. We want answers regarding our plan to lower the cost of housing, to ensure that education will not be harmed, and others. I promised change to my voters.
“It seems as if some people have not come to understand that things are different, that the era of ‘political spin’ and leaks is over, and that the public wants a clean political system that deals with the real issues,” Lapid wrote.
The corruption and the “fatness” is all over in most political parties all over the history of humanity. That is the glue that keep them together. When someone new comes in with principle ideas it is a revolution and the old guard is scared to loose power. Poor US! That is sad but that is life. Let ‘s not get depressed. The enemy is all over. IL needs to stick to her moral compass. The light unto the nations!
In politics as in politics. I see no reason for Mr. Lapid or Mr. Bennett to throw a floundering Netanyahu a float. New elections would finally bring new people to government, like them or not and the old combina may well be sweeped out.
Mr. Lapid seems to be the next in line. Let that happen. We can handle it.
Netanyahu is the worst thing that can happen to us.
my comment #3 is in moderation: Ted, please read this comment which consists of a quote from your comment and a short non controversial reply. How is moderation possible on this comment?
It appears as if BB wants to make vague agreements to woo coalition partners in the same way he woos the voters with vague platforms. Being vague is a strategy which allows one to be a chameleon. Apparently Lapid needs no “answers” from BB re YS and negotiations. Bennett appears to need no further “answers” from Lapid re YS but does the public know what bennett and Lapid have agreed re YS beyond the issued vague statement?
Bill Narvey Said:
Lapid is correct – he and his partners want answers regarding the government’s direction, its policies and what it intends to do to change the country. The distribution of ministerial portfolios isn’t the real issue. The Likud is wasting time rather than getting down to the business of forming a stable government.
Contracting the size of government may address the issue of government inefficiency, but it does little per se to rid government of inherent dysfunctionality bred by a dysfunctional political system.
If what Lapid more precisely wants, which is not clear from this piece is a 1st step to change the political system, that is a good thing. If however, Lapid is only addressing the issue of government efficiency, he is doing nothing more than flexing his political muscle to get what he wants by taking away from Netanyahu what he wants.
In other words, each is angling to improve their political power and influence.