Deri offered Transportation instead of Interior Ministry
Likud trying to convince Shas leader to give up interior portfolio which was already promised to him; United Torah Judaism could become first party to join new government.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is trying to convince Shas leader Aryeh Deri to give up the Interior Ministry and instead receive either the Transportation Ministry or an expanded economic portfolio.
Netanyahu wants to keep the Interior Ministry for his Likud party so he could give Kulanu leader Moshe Kahlon authority over the ministry's Administration of Planning. Deri, on his part, refuses to allow control over the administration to be taken from under the Interior Ministry.
Earlier this week, Shas was offered the Economy Ministry, the Ministry for the Development of the Negev and Galilee and the Public Diplomacy and Diaspora Affairs Ministry.
But sources on both Shas and Likud's negotiating teams said Deri is expected to reject that offer as well and instead insist on the Interior Ministry or the Economy Ministry with additional authorities.
Likud officials explained that since the Interior Ministry has already been promised to Deri, if no acceptable alternative can be found, the Shas chairman will likely get his way.
"The decision on the Interior Ministry must be made with Deri's agreement. We're trying to find a creative solution so he would give up the interior portfolio for other portfolios as well as a deputy minister position in the Finance Ministry," a Likud official said.
Shas is also hoping to reach understandings with the Likud in the coming days on the party's basic economic guidelines - cancelling VAT on essential foodstuffs and allocating a portion of each construction project for public housing.
Shas objects to the changes in governance system the Likud has promised its voters ahead of the elections, but this won't stop the Haredi party from joining the government.
Meanwhile, United Torah Judaism is now expected to be the first party to join Netanyahu's fourth government. The Ashkenazi ultra-Orthodox six-MKs faction is currently working on formulating the details of their coalition agreement.
As part of the agreement, party leader Yaakov Litzman will be appointed deputy health minister with a minister's authorities, MK Moshe Gafni will be appointed the head of the Knesset Finance Committee, MK Meir Parush will be appointed deputy minister in either the Construction or Education ministries, while MK Uri Maklev might also be appointed the head of a Knesset committee.
UTJ also has economic and religious demands which include maintaining the status quo on matters of religion and state, which means the de facto shelving of the Conversion Bill.
"We'll give Netanyahu quiet and won't threaten every two days to bring down the government," a UTJ source said. "God willing, within a week we'll be the first to sign a deal to join the new government."
Likud MKs to Netanyahu: Rule out unity gov't
After the Labor party's youth wing called on Isaac Herzog not to join a unity government with Netanyahu, several MKs in the prime minister's own party, the Likud, made a similar demand.
New MK Dudi Amsalem and four other Likud MKs turned to the head of the faction in the Knesset, MK Ze'ev Elkin, asking him to convene party MKs to a meeting in which they could rule out the formation of a unity government.
The five MKs were working along with other prominent Likud activists to convene the different party institutes to issue a clear call on Netanyahu not to support a unity government with the Zionist Union.
"The possibility of forming a unity government with the Zionist Union is against the promises given to the voters and will prevent us from implementing the Likud's policies," Amsalem said.
Moran Azulay contributed to this report.
