Likud, Blue and White in marathon talks to reach deal on Friday

Netanyahu wants Edelstein as foreign minister

By Gil Hoffman, JPOST APRIL 2, 2020 22:30

President Rivlin meets with Benjamin Netanyahu and Benny Gantz about forming an emergency unity government due to coronavirus (photo credit: KOBY GIDEON/GPO)

President Rivlin meets with Benjamin Netanyahu and Benny Gantz about forming an emergency unity government due to coronavirus

A coalition agreement between the Likud and Blue and White parties will be finalized no later than Friday afternoon, sources from both parties said Thursday evening.

A deal must be reached by Friday to enable parties in the coalition to bring the agreement to their institutions on Sunday and allow a vote in the Knesset to approve the government on Monday. The Knesset does not meet during Passover, which begins on Wednesday evening and lasts for a week. Blue and White leader Benny Gantz’s mandate to form a government, and the leverage that comes with it, ends during the holiday.

Progress was made between the two parties as they made compromises on disputed portfolios.

“I feel the negotiations with the Likud are about to be completed,” said Blue and White MK Chili Tropper, who is close to Gantz.<
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Likud agreed to let the Justice Ministry go to Blue and White faction chairman Avi Nissenkorn. Blue and White accepted the appointment of the Likud’s Miri Regev as internal security minister.

Blue and White agreed to give up the Foreign Ministry, which Netanyahu reportedly wants to give to former Knesset speaker Yuli Edelstein of Likud. But it could go to Yamina leader Naftali Bennett. In return, Likud gave up the education portfolio, which will go to Blue and White MK Gabi Ashkenazi.

The Foreign Ministry would be a good consolation prize for Edelstein, who lost his post as Knesset speaker after leading the Likud’s fight against the Supreme Court. It would free the speaker post for Likud minister Yariv Levin, who is close to Netanyahu and heads the Likud’s coalition negotiating team.

Yamina threatened to stay out of the coalition if it does not receive the education portfolio. Yamina MK Ayelet Shaked said in a Channel 12 interview that if Yamina was not included in the coalition, the party would be a “fighting right-wing opposition” to Netanyahu’s government

“We are not part of the game of musical chairs between Netanyahu and Gantz,” Yamina said in an official statement. “We don’t intend to be a fig leaf in a left-wing government that gave away the Justice Ministry and will end chances of expressing sovereignty over Judea and Samaria.”

Among the party’s goals if it goes into the opposition, the statement listed fighting corruption in bold.

Sources close to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Likud made an offer to Yamina, but Yamina’s demand of four ministers for six MKs was unrealistic.

Yesh Atid said fighting corruption should not depend on whether a party is in the coalition, and if Yamina joins Netanyahu’s government, it would be part of his corruption.

April 3, 2020 | 4 Comments »

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4 Comments / 4 Comments

  1. 4th elections, one can hope, rather than some deformed dysfunctional immoral forced marriage between unwilling ideologically opposed partners.

  2. @ Bear Klein:
    Also stated

    According to Hotovely, it is clear to the Blue and White party that
    the issue of Sovereignty is a deal breaker for the Likud, and their
    refusal to meet this demand will lead to an additional round of
    elections in which they are not interested. In her opinion, the demand
    of freedom to vote is legitimate and reasonable as there is no demand
    that the Blue and White party vote in favor of that step.

    She claimed the vote on sovereignty would happen this year. By the way only the cabinet needs to approve this and Knesset and vote makes it law.(my comment.

  3. However, there is a Likud demand that freedom to vote one’s conscience be granted in this matter (Sovereignty).

    A representative of the youth noted before Hotovely the response of
    the chairman of the Likud negotiating team, Minister Yariv Levin, to a
    question of Sovereignty Youth regarding the concern over a Palestinian
    state, and his determination that the Likud is focused on the
    application of Sovereignty and not on what he characterized as other
    issues.
    Hotovely agreed with the statement and stated that, indeed,
    her party is insistent in its demand for Sovereignty and that there is
    no intent to enable establishment of a Palestinian state. “We are
    opposed to a Palestinian state and we will do everything to ensure
    that Sovereignty will be part of the fundamental guidelines of the
    government; Sovereignty, yes, Palestinian state, no.    ”


    She claimed sovereignty is a redline in coalition discussions.

    Above is a partial translation of the following discussion found on youtube. The Minister of Diaspora Affairs, Tzipi Hotovely, conducted yesterday
    a meeting via “Zoom” with a group of representatives of the
    Sovereignty Youth Movement, in which she addressed the matter of the
    coalition negotiations, and the Likud demand of freedom to vote their
    conscience on the issue of Sovereignty.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IaqpI11ELW0&t=359s

  4. Minister Hotovely added, in addressing the coalition negotiations, and
    noted that the Blue and White party has not raised any demand that the
    program be adopted verbatim. However, there is a Likud demand that
    freedom to vote one’s conscience be granted in this matter.

    A representative of the youth noted before Hotovely the response of
    the chairman of the Likud negotiating team, Minister Yariv Levin, to a
    question of Sovereignty Youth regarding the concern over a Palestinian
    state, and his determination that the Likud is focused on the
    application of Sovereignty and not on what he characterized as other
    issues. Hotovely agreed with the statement and stated that, indeed,
    her party is insistent in its demand for Sovereignty and that there is
    no intent to enable establishment of a Palestinian state. “We are
    opposed to a Palestinian state and we will do everything to ensure
    that Sovereignty will be part of the fundamental guidelines of the
    government; Sovereignty, yes, Palestinian state, no.”

    Above is a partial translation of the found youtube discussion.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IaqpI11ELW0&t=359s