Just hours before the meeting between Prime Minister-designate Benjamin Netanyahu and
Kadima Chairman Tzipi Livni,
slated to take place Sunday evening at the Inbal Hotel in Jerusalem, opinions for and against joining a national unity government were being voiced within Kadima
ranks.
| Opposition in Likud |
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| Feiglin: Unity government – bullet to democracy's head / Attila Somfalvi |
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Likud hardliner slams Prime Minister-designate Netanyahu's attempts to form wide coalition with Kadima, says if Livni were able to form leftist coalition she would not urge Likud to join it |
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Before the cabinet meeting Sunday morning, Housing Minister Ze'ev Boim (Kadima) spoke about the possibility for coalition negotiations between Kadima and Likud,
but conditioned such talks on the fact that no agreement was signed between Likud and Shas
on the issue of allowances on the eve of elections.
"If, as (Shas Chairman) Eli Yishai says, there are no agreements from the Right on Benjamin Netanyahu's back and the table is indeed clear, there is place for negotiation," said Boim.
Representing the opposite point of view, Interior Minister Meir Sheetrit said that he was opposed to Kadima joining the coalition. "If Kadima joins a government which does not work to advance the peace process and the talks with the Palestinians, a narrow right-wing government, it will disappear," said Sheetrit.
He added, "We believe Netanyahu made a commitment to Shas in advance…. If the public elected a right-wing government, the Likud should form it with 65 Knesset seats. We don't need to be there to soften a narrow right-wing coalition."
Deputy Prime Minister and Shas Chairman Eli Yishai said Sunday that his party "did not reach any agreement with the Likud," calling talk of such agreements pre-election spin.
Yishai also called on Kadima to "show responsibility and join the government if they have any responsibility to this nation."
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