Likud seems to have moved to applying public pressure on Naftali Bennett and his Bayit HaYehudi Party in the hope of breaking the agreement with him and Yair Lapid of Yesh Atid.
As Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu enters the fourth and final week allotted to him in the 28-day presidential mandate to form a coalition, he is concerned, realizing the situation does not appear optimistic. Mr. Netanyahu will most likely turn to President Peres and seek a 14-day extension. Clearly he certainly did not expect to have to request additional time but political realities today are the result of an unexpected turn, one that is not in favor of Likud/Beitenu’s coalition building efforts.
Likud on erev Shabbos resumed negotiations with Naftali Bennett, who remains loyal to Yesh Atid and he appears unwilling to enter into a coalition without Yesh Atid. Likud is beginning to apply pressure on Bennett, explaining that without a coalition majority including the right-wing, it will result in an additional building freeze throughout Yehuda and Shomron and he will be responsible since he has opted to cling to Lapid instead of joining with Likud as it should and as voters expected of him.
The daily Yisrael Hayom quotes a “senior Likud source” saying that a coalition that does not include the right-wing parties, Bayit Yehudi and the chareidim, will not be capable of stopping another construction freeze and the right-wing parties will have to explain why they permitted this to voters.
The report continues explaining that if the United States realizes the new coalition rests on the shoulders of the political left-wing, it will pressure for an expanded building freeze.
Bayit Yehudi rejects the attempt to place the responsibility on its shoulders, explaining to date, the prime minister has been willing to build a left-wing government with Livni, Labor and the chareidim, and he has brought in The Movement, including Livni, Amir Peretz and Amram Mitzne, and is now trying to save itself.
Further complicating coalition efforts are reports that Bennett is now making his inclusion in the coalition contingent on yet another demand, that the deal made with Tzipi Livni must be redefined, especially regarding her senior role in the negotiating process between Israel and the PA (Palestinian Authority).
(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
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3 Responses
If Bayit Yehudi’s demands for mass conscription of yeshiva students is in fact not what the Dati Leumi public favors, then Bennett will do very poorly next time there is a primary for party leadership. There is anecdotal evidence that many in the Dati Leumi/Modern Orthodox crowd dislike the Hareidim as much as fanatical hilonim such as Lapid. Time, and the next party primary, will tell.
Talking about betraying voters,
Didn’t Likud betray its voters by giving them Barak? Now, Livni?
Mr. YWN-Israel Desk,
Please stop reporting the same tired old story every day, as if repeating the same silliness will – presto! – turn it into the truth. Neither the Likud nor the chareidim get to decide whether HaBayit HaYehudi has abandoned its voters or not. The argument can be much more readily made that the Likud has abandoned its voters insofar as it has recruited the almost universally detested (by Left and Right) Livni for the coalition while doing everything it can to marginalize HaBayit HaYehudi.
I can’t imagine that any serious supporter of the Likud can reconcile the party’s platform and its leaders’ rhetoric with a coalition including Livni. Kol hakavod to both Messr. Lapid and Bennett for seeing through the political chicanery of Netanyahu and Ya’alon.