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Photo: Alex Kolomoisky
Netanyahu: Crumbling coalition
Photo: Alex Kolomoisky

Moment of truth for fractured Netanyahu coalition

Prime minister embarks on day of meetings with heads of parties in his coalition, with all factions set to meet together as they explore whether current government has a future.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was in for a difficult day of meetings Monday with party leaders from the coalition, as his government appeared on the cusp of crumbling over serious ideological divisions surrounding the budget and the contentious nationality bill.

 

 

Netanyahu was to meet with the party chairs one by one throughout the day, as sources close to the prime minister said he intended "to make one last attempt to see whether agreements could be reached to allow the government to continue (and) matters of state be managed properly."

 

Alongside Netanyahu's talks with Finance Minister Yair Lapid, who heads the second-largest party Yesh Atid, Justice Minister Tzipi Livni of Hatnua and Economy Minister Naftali Bennett of Bayit Yehudi, the coalition members were set to meet to try to assess whether the government could continue in its current form, thereby avoiding a downward spiral that would lead to elections.

 

Tense times: Sunday's coalition meeting (Photo: Alex Kolomoisky) (Photo: Alex Kolomosiky)
Tense times: Sunday's coalition meeting (Photo: Alex Kolomoisky)

  

Sources said the prime minister met Sunday with Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman. The Yisrael Beiteinu leader was an erstwhile ally during the 2013 elections, but recently lashed out at Netanyahu's Likud party while presenting his own plan to end the Israeli-Arab conflict.

 

The current coalition crisis has been mounting for several weeks, with members of the government making harsh, public criticism of the prime minister. Over the weekend, Lapid accused Netanyahu of procrastination on issues such as "the state budget, Israel's diplomatic relations, citizens' sense of security, the housing crisis and others" stagnated.

 

"Instead, (Netanyahu and the Likud members) are dealing with the smallest politics - polls and political survival," Lapid told a cultural event in Tel Aviv on Saturday.

 

The sources in Netanyahu's camp said Sunday that the prime minister "is not willing to allow the continuation of this situation, in which ministers attack the government they are members of as if they were in the opposition."

 

The Yesh Atid leader's comments come after a tense week of disputes over the nationality bill, which seeks to enshrine in law Israel's status as the nation-state of the Jewish people.

 

The proposal, branded by its opponents across the political spectrum as damaging and racist, led to both Lapid and Livni declaring at the start of last week that their parties would not support the draft of the bill approved by the cabinet.

 

Those close to Lapid have offered a modicum of hope that the coalition can be salvaged, but demanded that Netanyahu end his politicking and go back to doing his job.

 

"I repeat, there is no need to hold elections," Lapid said behind closed doors on Sunday night. "The prime minister needs to decide whether he is going back to functioning normally in and in a proper manner and directly concern himself with the runing of the country."

 

Lapid's camp insisted that the finance minister would not support a budget that did not raise taxes, give billions to the social ministries or strengthen the weakest sector of society and middle class purely to satisfy the political desires of others.

 

 

Meanwhile, Netanyahu has been wooing the ultra-Orthodox parties, which have made no secret of their desire to return to government after almost two years in opposition. As Lapid and Livni both called for the coalition to continue, Netanyahu has been seeking assurances from Shas and United Torah Judaism that they will back him as prime minister should there be a fresh election, two years after the last one.

 


פרסום ראשון: 12.01.14, 09:23
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