Netanyahu says not giving up on wide government
Prime minister-designate tells Likud faction members Israel needs 'a stable and strong government' in order to deal with rocket fire in south, financial crisis. Kadima Chairwoman Livni says 'there is no use for a survival government'
"The events are not waiting. The Qassams are not waiting and neither is the unemployment," the Likud chairman told his faction members at the Knesset.
Kadima Chairwoman Tzipi Livni addressed her recent meetings with Netanyahu during her faction's weekly gathering, saying that "there is no use for a survival government". She added that "unity surrounding the solution is the right kind of unity".
"The two-state principle is an Israeli interest," the foreign minister explained, referring to what was presented as the heart of her dispute with the Likud chairman. "This is not a favor we're doing. This road creates legitimacy, and I presented this to Netanyahu.
"There were some faction members who said we should compromise. This is the reason we left the Likud. To this day I still hear shouts at the Likud Central Committee saying 'no' to a Palestinian state," she said.
"We established a party in order to promote this idea. I won't give up on this way for a government portfolio," Livni added. She went on to accuse Netanyahu of giving her vague answers to her questions on changing the government system.
"There is no basis and there are no agreements on the important issues," she concluded.
Mofaz pushes for unity
Minister Shaul Mofaz said during the meeting that Kadima should not reject out of hand the possibility of joining a Netanyahu-led government. "We shouldn't enter at all costs and in any composition, but there is room for a thorough examination of whether unity is possible," he said.
Vice Premier Haim Ramon said during the meeting, "A movement that goes to the government at all costs will pay a price. A movement that cannot be in the opposition will also not be a ruling movement. We don’t have a principle of being in the opposition. I was in both places, and the government is better. But when a party goes into the government at all costs, it commits suicide, like the Labor Party.
"Before the talks began I believed that the chance of entering was very high. I mistakenly believed that Bibi had learned the lesson and wanted unity. But he won't enable real negotiations. He isn't doing us a favor by offering us the same number of portfolios. The problem with Bibi's views is that he won't accept Annapolis. No one will talk to him about Iran if he fails to accept the two-state principle."
Mofaz added, "I believe it's a mistake not appointing negotiation teams. I want to hold a discussion without assistants at the faction and make a decision. I think that with unity we can promote the changing of the government system.
"We must not be portrayed as those who don't want to make the effort to find a common denominator, and be portrayed as those waiting for the government to fail so we can fix it. We must inquire if there is any chance at all for unity."
Meanwhile, at the Labor faction meeting, Defense Minister Ehud Barak also spoke of his meetings with the prime minister-designate.
"I met with Netanyahu, in a meeting which dealt mostly with the challenges ahead of us. We also discussed politics. If the person forming the government invites us, we should talk, even if it won't change our stance.
"Not every meeting should cause excitement among the Knesset members. We are a deep rooted party. I don’t know if there will be additional talks with Netanyahu and where they will lead. I'll act in accordance with what is right for the country and for the party."
