Yisrael Beytenu chief says agreement with Tzipi Livni will be honored; still hopeful that Labor and haredim will join.
By JPOST.COM STAFFLiberman in front of star of david 370(photo credit: REUTERS/Mary Calvert)
Avigdor Liberman, head of Yisrael Beytenu, said that the country will not have a new election and that a government will be formed even if right now the make up of the government is not clear. With regard to Naftali Bennett and Bayit Yehudi party's demand to cancel the coalition agreement with the Tzipi Livni Party, Liberman said that the deal was signed and so it will be honored. When the Tzipi Livni Party joined the coalition two weeks ago, Bayit Yehudi responded to the announcement of Livni joining the coalition by saying it alienated the party from the government.“A government with one of the major supporters of the Gaza disengagement, who is in favor of dividing Jerusalem, is not a right-wing government,” the party stated. The deal with Livni to enter the coalition was in exchange for her becoming justice minister and leader of negotiations with the Palestinian Authority. Yesh Atid, which coordinates with the Bayit Yehudi in coalition talks, plans to make similar demands to change the deal with Livni in negotiations that are set to continue today. Yesh Atid opposes the fact that Livni’s party received two ministries, which means one for every three MKs, because Yesh Atid believes the government should have no more than 18 ministers.On the possibility of other parties joining the coalition, Liberman said that he wanted "a coalition that is as wide as possible - including the Labor party, and the haredim.".However, on Wednesday, Labor chief Shelly Yacimovich stated that there was a "massive gap" in the positions between her party and Netanyahu and that it would take a complete turnaround in the prime minister's position before Labor would consider joining a Netanyahu-led coalition.Avigdor Liberman, head of Yisrael Beytenu, said that the country will not have a new election and that a government will be formed even if right now the make up of the government is not clear. With regard to Naftali Bennett and Bayit Yehudi party's demand to cancel the coalition agreement with the Tzipi Livni Party, Liberman said that the deal was signed and so it will be honored. When the Tzipi Livni Party joined the coalition two weeks ago, Bayit Yehudi responded to the announcement of Livni joining the coalition by saying it alienated the party from the government.“A government with one of the major supporters of the Gaza disengagement, who is in favor of dividing Jerusalem, is not a right-wing government,” the party stated.
The deal with Livni to enter the coalition was in exchange for her becoming justice minister and leader of negotiations with the Palestinian Authority. Yesh Atid, which coordinates with the Bayit Yehudi in coalition talks, plans to make similar demands to change the deal with Livni in negotiations that are set to continue today. Yesh Atid opposes the fact that Livni’s party received two ministries, which means one for every three MKs, because Yesh Atid believes the government should have no more than 18 ministers.On the possibility of other parties joining the coalition, Liberman said that he wanted "a coalition that is as wide as possible - including the Labor party, and the haredim.".However, on Wednesday, Labor chief Shelly Yacimovich stated that there was a "massive gap" in the positions between her party and Netanyahu and that it would take a complete turnaround in the prime minister's position before Labor would consider joining a Netanyahu-led coalition.Joint chief of Shas Eli Yishai wrote on his Facebook page today that whoever comes to serve the public "can do so from anywhere" hinting at his party's willingness to sit in the opposition. Referring to reports that Yair Lapid's Yesh Atid party and Naftali Bennett's Bayit Yehudi would not sit in a government with his party, Yishai added that he was upset over attempts by some elements "to come out against the world of Torah and its representatives." Both Yesh Atid and Bayit Yehudi are demanding that haredim share state burdens more equally with the rest of the population. On the Palestinian issue, Liberman said that the Americans understand the existing circumstances and understand that the conflict needs to be managed, not solved. Commenting on the Iranian nuclear talks that ended in Kazakhtan on Wednesday, Liberman said that the talks give a green light for Iran to continue it's nuclear program. "We have no illusions about Iran's intentions to drag out the process and waste time," Liberman said on Wednesday, as he called for the six powers - the UK, US, Russia, China, France and Germany - to take "more practical steps" to stop Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons. Lahav Harkov contributed to this report.
