T. Belman. Liberman just opened the door to join the right bloc. Its up to Shas and UTJ to accept. He also didn’t commit to Blue and White to join a minority government that depended on the support of the joint list. So he is up for grabs. He also has come out about being against a fourth election. He obviously didn’t repeat that he won’t sit with Bibi as PM. Bibi may have other alternatives but Liberman isn’t asking a lot. Its in Bibi’s interest to get the religious parties to accept this limitation on their power. It would also strengthen the Right Bloc for future electioNs with Liberman on board.
“Yisrael Beytenu’s threshold conditions for joining the next coalition” include civil marriages and conversions by municipal rabbis.
Arutz Sheva Staff, 08/03/20
Yisrael Beytenu Chair MK Avigdor Liberman wrote a new message on his Facebook account this morning titled: “Yisrael Beytenu’s threshold conditions for joining the next coalition.”
In his post, Liberman laid out five issues the implementation of which he said was the condition for his party to join the next coalition.
Liberman’s first condition is “A minimum income of 70% of the minimum wage in the economy for all pensioners living from income support and old age pension.”
His second condition is “Transfer of all authority in the matter of public transportation and the opening of businesses on Shabbat to local government.”
The additional conditions are “The Draft Law in the version approved in first reading in the 20th Knesset,” the “Civil Marriage Law,” and “conversion by municipal rabbis, such that every municipal rabbi can establish a court and carry out conversions.”
The Likud should get the UTJ/Shas to respond positively to Liberman’s demands on the draft plus religion & state. Frankly in my view they are long overdue. I understand the Haredi will not be jumping for joy. The majority of Israelis are in favor of these changes. He has forwarded these demands directly to the Likud.
that either Hauser or Hendel would change their mind on this issue.
See complete article at: https://www.jpost.com/Israel-News/Gantz-Liberman-could-prevent-fourth-elections-620324
@ Sebastien Zorn:If a majority vote for you which could be 59-58 with 3 not voting or abstaining you government stays in place once formed. It is just highly shaky. Even having just a bare majority of 61 is shaky.
There are many details such as needing to pass a budget once a year. That is why Gantz said he would pass it ASAP. His plans of a minority coalition are very unlikely to come to fruition. It is a bad plan objectively speaking but that after three elections I guess people (some anyway) think anything is fair game.
Ted, I think you’re wromg about wanting the Haredim to give in to Lieberman’s demands This would destroy the very fabric which makes the State Jewish in the Torah meaning. (although it already is in many ways, but even the secular support the Torah) If the unthinkable happened, Israel would eventually become less and less Jewish, and finally indistinguishable from a European country, but with a snubbed minoeity of Haredim, who will always stick there…..as there always has been in Europe.
@ Bear Klein:
I’m confused about this minority government business. I thought you need 61 to form a government. You can form a government with 59 if you have outside backing, such as from the Arab List? I don’t understand.
Liberman wants Bibi out as much or more than he wants his religion/state issues met. Gantz has agreed to Liberman’s conditions.
So far it appears that Gantz has a maximum of 57 votes as Hauser and Hendel will not agree to be part of government that works with the joint list. This is not the 59 he needs to form a minority government.
Also it is far from sure that all 12 members of the Joint List (excluding the 3 of Balad) will agree to support Gantz. They have been voicing all sorts of demands, which if they do not back off will be impossible for Gantz to comply with, unless he is changing his tefflin for a Muslim prayer rug.
” “In an interview with Reshet Bet, MK Ofer Cassif[ of the Communist Party, their sole Jewish MK] stated that, “The entire faction agrees to the demand that we be officially approached. We haven’t seen that happening yet, and we insist upon it.” He stressed that in his party, “We haven’t reached the stage of discussing supporting a government from outside (i.e. enabling Gantz to establish a minority government with external support from the Joint Arab List – ed.). We’re still talking about recommendations.”
In an indication that Gantz’s road to forming a government will not be simple, Cassif noted that, “Under no circumstances will we support any government which includes the racist [Yisrael Beytenu Chairman MK Avigdor] Liberman. We’re talking about someone who has been inciting against our public for years.”
MK Eli Avidar (Yisrael Beytenu) told Reshet Bet: “Our red line is doing what we committed to doing – ensuring that there won’t be another round of elections. We will do whatever is our best interests. We have to limit our dealings with the Joint Arab List, which will negotiate with whoever it wants.” ” From today’s Arutz Sheva.
These ambiguous remarks indicate, to me anyway, that intense negotiations are under way between the various parties that are anti-netanyahu.
The same article also states that Balad MK, and overt terrorism supporter and anti-Israel inciter Yazbak, says that her faction Balad will not support a Gantz-Blue-White government. However, it should be noted that the Jerusalem Post says Gantz wants Balad to abstain, not support Blue-White in a confidence vote.That way, he will still be able to get 59 votes, one more than the Right blocs’ 58, and win a vote of confidence for a minority government.
I believe that Leiberman has reiterated since the election that he will not under any cirumstances serve with Netanyahu as Prime Minister. He has even accused Netanyahu of filing false criminal complaints against him, which Netanyahu denies.
There is no possibility that the haredi parties will agree to Leiberman’s demands, because their raison d’être is to protect haredi control of Jewish marriage, divorce, and conversions. In addition they are deeply offended by anti-haredi remarks made by Leiberman and his campaign surrogates during the most recent election campaign. Lieberman was allegedly recorded saying in Russian to supporters that all haredim should be put to death. Some of his close advisors are alleged to have
said the same thing. Haredi leaders were quoted as saying that Leiberman had “crossed the Rubicon” on cooperation with him with these remarks.