Senior officials say coalition agreement could come as early as Thursday.
Former Foreign Minister Avigdor Liberman has accepted Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu’s offer to join the coalition in return for the Defense and Immigration ministries, senior Yisrael Beytenu officials said on Wendesday.
According to senior officials, the Prime Minister’s meeting Wednesday afternoon with Liberman has already laid the groundwork for Yisrael Beytenu’s entry into the government. Shortly after the meeting, Netanyahu reportedly called Defense Minister Moshe Yaalon, informing him that Liberman had requested the Defense Ministry in exchange for his support of the Likud government.
Senior officials have leaked details of the meeting, including Netanyahu’s offer to Liberman, which includes two ministries – Defense and Immigration, both of which are important to winning the support of the Yisrael Beytenu party, which relies heavily on support from the Russian immigrant community.
While no formal agreements have been reached, Yisrael Beytenu insiders said that Liberman accepted Netanyahu’s offer.
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.
“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.”
Advisors to Liberman have also suggested that barring any last minute surprises, a coalition agreement could be signed as soon as Thursday. Aides to the Prime Minister also confirmed that the two sides were very close to sealing a deal.
bernard ross Said:
First Leave the UN….Bar all UN agencies personnel and NGO’s from entering Israel. Total Persona non grata!!!! Advocate for all other democracies around the world to follow Israel’s lead. Since the UN remains or falls is dependent on the United States Israel should appeal directly to the American people who have no great love for the UN.
Israel’s having an international forum at the UN is of dubious value, as is the UN itself
http://www.science.co.il/Arab-Israeli-conflict/Articles/Eidelberg-2002-07-11.php
Keli-A Said:
you dont get it… the election is in november but he demits office the following january… he can pretend to be pro israel for the dems before november and then after the election refuse a veto. If the UN measure is timed for that period it might indicate his complicity.
Keli-A Said:
what sort of retaliation might Israel make?
Keli-A Said:
a dangerously arogant ignoramus as well as a criminal who belongs in Jail. I wish Israelis would protest and demand an investigation… his repeated declarations of guilt at duma and the soldier plus his incarcerations of ettinger and others is a serious criminal offense…I cant imagine a more obvious and transparent obstruction and interference with justice and abuse of power…… and yet Why dont Israelis protest over this?
Keli-A Said:
sorry, but this might cover it
bernard ross Said:
🙂 next time I will be more careful
@ bernard ross:
He could but then so what??? It will seal the election for Trump against the Democrats and not sure how the UN will vote if they know America won’t veto they might seek some wordy compromise faced with what Israel might do in retaliation…..
I have a theory that most of the anti Israel rhetoric and ranting against Israel in the UN is due to the fact they can all expect an American veto so for them it’s cost free faced with a non veto some might retreat.
@ bernard ross:
I pegged that POS when acting as head of mil Intelligence he gave the green light to cede the Golan to Syria stating the Golan was not necessary for Israel’s defense…. The politicians used his opinion to seriously engage with Syria offering them all but a beach strip on the sea of Galilee Assad rejected that deal PM lied as usual but had given everything to Assad. Where would we be today if those assholes had succeeded??? Yet they still are running the show…. BB and the IDF must be purged!! Such political and military idiots if not criminals are very dangerous to our security and future.
@ bernard ross:
You forgot to add revenge to your list of why we should impose death penalties on terrorists but with a caveat that it only applies to enemy terrorists not any Jewish terrorist because the opponents will seek to add the red herring that the law include all terrorists including Jewish ones. Problem here is the designation of who and what is a terrorist can be very political and the law must stipulate exactly who and what they mean by terrorist so that it doesn’t come back to haunt us… Actually all lot to do over nothing because the Judges think like Winstein and all the law will state is that instead of a majority of 3 judges in a tribunal agreeing to death penalty on two need to rule in favor except all three…. I don’t see any changes due to the embedded leftist world view and mindset of most Judges even in the military. I think you would need to replace most of the judges in Israel for the law to be enforced and be effective…. The Law must be mandatory so that it takes the options away from the Judiciary to avoid the death penalty verdict which I believe is not the case.
whiny weinstein is just one more moralizing fake telling jews what to do with those trying to kill their children. Israel needs to be rid of these moralizers who sould lead the jews into the ovens for their fake morality.
we can always recognize these stockholm syndrome jews by their adulation of the “world”. Didnt whiny weinstein notice that the biggest “global trend in the world” today is the defamation, libeling and delegitimization of Israel? Why doesn’t Whiny ask Israel to follow that trend too…. oh, but in a way he is.
it will save israel money on keeping terrorists in jail, it will remove the trading for terrorists who go out and kill more Israelis, etc etc etc. i am appalled by the low level of thought and the knee jerk expected reaction of these creepy old timers whose morality always ends in choosing dead jews over dead enemies. This whiny weinstein should retire into oblivion as the only leadership he provides is one of no solutions and more dead jews…. I dont care about dead enemies, unlike whiny weinstein.
it seems absurd to offer the foreign ministry to one who should be indicted for serious criminal offenses. Yaalon has shown a serial and repeat pattern of abusing his position of power and authority to influence and obstruct justice and caused serious damage to persons incarcerated personally by him with no evidence. I see no difference between him and any two bit dictator who throws people in jail without charges for his personal agenda. All his talk of morality is a red herring to obfuscate and distract attention from his criminal offenses. He should be indicted and incarcerated just like the jews he put in jail to satisfy his “moral” fakery.
And now it appears that his support of the golem golan’s weird speeches was a leadup to encouraging the military to rebel against its lawful political civilian command…… which appears to be the same agenda that the foreign network had for Israel…. a soft coup. Perhaps all yaalons crimes are linked to together with an agenda conveniently congruent with the foreign saboteurs and destabilizers of Israel. the courthouse,the jail, and not a ministry is where yaalon and the foreign paid and directed moles belong.
Sources close to Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon said on Wednesday night that, despite various reports in the media, he was never offered the role of Foreign Minister by Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu.
According to the sources, who spoke with Army Radio, the subject of Ya’alon being appointed Foreign Minister did not come up in his conversation with Netanyahu earlier Wednesday.
Perhaps Bibi will keep the status quo on this job. Hotovely can be promoted from Dep. Foreign Minister for one. Dore Gold as Director General of the Foreign Ministry is almost acting as Bibi’s surrogate and does a very good job.
Keli-A Said:
between the election and his termination he can withhold a veto at the UN which the next pres cannot reverse… that is what folks are discussing.
@ bernard ross:
With less than 6 months remaining effectivly in Obamas term not much damage he can do and not much leverage either. Biden will be easier than Hitlery to beat…. PS it can be shown easily that he has never been on the right side of any decision or policy he has advocated.
So will Bennett or Ya’alon become Foreign Minister Now?
Hopefully Bennett!!
Ted Belman Said:
Ya’alon was always expendable he had no political constituency or assets and he was after BB’s Job…. BB never let rivals get too close…. Getting Lieberman was cheap price to pay for Likud. Labor demaned 8 ministry portfolios and that would have created dissention in the coalition and maybe even a Likud Palace Revolt. Nobody will miss Ya’alom who was never a right winger or Likudnik but an opportunist he was promised DM in BB’s Last term in office but BB brought in Barak and Ya’alon had to wait his turn which he did but once Barak was ousted by Labor BB had no choice but to appoint Ya’alon out of no choice BB always thought he needed a general at his side to bolster his Bona-fides to the electorate but now he needed to enlarge his coalition and Lieberman is the one who fits at this point in time. Lieberman didn’t want to be out in the political cold too long either he was rejected by the Likud when he wanted to rejoin the party and lost his constituency by playing to the left and Obama undermining BB so he lost half his support and I think now if he learned his lesson he will seek to regain the leadership of the right if not he will soon be out on his ass with BB…. So look to see him him be more activist on the side of the settlers and against the Arabs, If not he will soon be finished in Israeli politics.
Obama being a Lame Duck means little outside pressure from that side can be expected for at least a year. The stars seem to be aligned right now ????
Beware Biden being inserted as Dem nominee.
@ Ted Belman:Ya’alon blasting the solider in Hebron and the Galon Yom Hashoah Nazi gaff and several similar incidents have made Ya’alon quite expendable politically and otherwise.
People who would have backed Ya’alon in the past no longer care or like to the fact that he is being traded to strength the coalition. Especially if the choice was Herzog and his band of leftists.
Will Ya’alon leave the Knesset? Will Ya’alon join Yesh Atid? Does anyone care what he will do? Will Bibi offer him another portfolio such as the Foreign Ministry or Communications? Perhaps Bibi will also be happy to see him go.
Will Bibi be able to work with Lieberman in a very powerful job?
Bear Klein Said:
I never saw it implement any right wing agenda beyond announcements and saw it block most right wing agenda and settlement.
hopefully it will happen, but unless it executes a right wing agenda it cannot be considered a right wing gov. Lets see if it reverses BB’s obstruction of Jewish settlement in Ys; if it starts building any new Jewish settlements OUTSIDE the major blocks; if it ends arab abuse of Jews at the MOunt and facilitates free Jewish access; if it stops incarcerating jewish dissenters; if it prosecutes EU officials for illegal building in Ys ; if it tears down all the illegal EU building; if it builds in E1 as announced years ago; if it reforms the left wing unelected court; if it utters these words that BB has NEVER uttered:
“JEWISH SETTLEMENT IN JUDEA SAMARIA IS LEGAL AND LEGITIMATE”
If it does those things, then we might have reason to celebrate. If not then it is the same old BS where BB finds a way to neutralize, neuter, block all right wing agenda.
Was Yaalon set up to be the fall guy?
Almost as good as the government staying right wing and even becoming more right wing and pro settlement is that the Labor is fighting among themselves and they will become and smaller party in the future.
Herzog blasts ‘violent’ Yacimovich for ‘making Liberman defense minister’ Music to my ears.