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PM to Shas: You can't be in coalition over Bennett
Moran Azulay
Published: 03.03.13, 16:31
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1. UTJ, Shas conditions make them unsuitable partners
Raymond in DC ,   Washington, USA   (03.03.13)
If Yesh Atid and Bayit Yehudi have decided the haredi parties can't be a part of the next coalition, it's the haredi parties that have made it so. Where is their recognition that their sectarian interests and uncompromising stances have made them pariahs to most Israelis? UTJ is the more problematic of the two - not surprising as their supporters support the status quo of military exemptions, yeshiva supports, control of religious institutions, and freedom not to teach their kids secular subjects. That's not the case with Shas, whose supporters are more moderate and open to compromise than their leaders. As to the idea of Labor filling in for Yesh Atid and pulling the haredim into government, that would be a betrayal of their values and of the Israeli consensus. It would be a coalition of opportunists, each selling out the greater Israeli interest for their own.
2. Finally Netanyahu has been called out
Steven ,   San Francisco   (03.03.13)
Finally Mr. Benjamin "10 Month Freeze Two State Solution" Netanyahu has gotten some serious pushback. This bodes well for Israel's future and badly for Netanyahu's.
3. #1 Raymond
Dovid ,   Haifa Israel   (03.03.13)
you know this because? you nothing of Israel Yank. Worry about your own bankrupt political system and leave us alone. We appear crazy... but when we must come together... we do.
4. What is the great problem?
M. Davison ,   Ra'anana, Israel   (03.03.13)
So the Haredi parties won't be in the coalition? I've been waiting 40 years for this to happen, and sop have many Israeli taxpayers like me. I fully support the courage of Yesh Atid and Habayit Hayehudi in sticking to their principles. Maybe finally, we can begin to approach a fair division of the social burden, change the electoral system and integrate one of the most stubbornly isolationist population sectors (the Haredim) into Israeli society.
5. #1 - Raymond
Maurice ,   Montreal   (03.03.13)
You said it as it is! I totally agree with you.
6. 1
zionist forever   (03.03.13)
Lapid wants another election, if he plays his cards right he can blame the second election on Bibi wanting the religious in the coalition and the public will fall for it and Lapid will probably win and become the next PM. Bennet as his number 2 will have betrayed the people who voted for him who were expecting alliances with Likud not Lapid. Whatever their motives the religious are right in their talk about the equal share of the burden issue as hokey pokey because thats exactly what it is. The haredi in the army won't make the slightest bit of difference to issues that matter and affect the country but its popular because there is nothing secular Israelis love more than haredi bashing and Lapid is the master of that. Get the people focussed on the trivial but populist and fashionable issues it distracts them from the real ones on which Lapid has nothing to offer. Even if he joins the coalition Lapid can't be trusted, he made that clear when he said he would be PM within 16 months before he even entered the Knesset so with Lapid in the government probably won't last a year, with Lapid in again won't last a year before Likud start getting disgruntled with Lapid constantly trying to call the shots. With Labor & the religious things might last longer. With a national unity government which Bibi does want ( religious, Lapid, Bennet and Livni we will get a government that works and can address all issues both serious and trivial like the hared enlistment because then neither Lapid or the religious would be powerful enough to dictate terms. Shelly is being a fool by not accepting any offers to join the coalition. She could sit in opposition make speeches about social justice and condemning Bibi or she could be the finance minister under Bibi's leadership Sadly the current Knesset is made up mainly of opportunists and idealist ammeters not people who understand mainstream politics and the running of a country.
7. What does Sha$, UTJ and Bibi have in common???
Bemet ,   Israel   (03.03.13)
As long as they get to hold power and control the money they are happy regardless of what happens to Israel or anybody else.
8. Shelly Yachimovich
Ray Stuart ,   Zurich/Israel   (03.03.13)
I hope she keeps her word .A government with Habayit Hayehudi' and Yesh Atid together with the Likud and other moderate religious parties could be the start of a bright future for Israeli politics and the Israeli/ Jewish people
9. If once Shas and Torah party
Istvan ,   BUDAPEST HUNGARY   (03.03.13)
are on an antizionist platform, why do they insist to take part in the zionist coalition ?
10. #4 M. Davison - 40 years? More like 9.
Akiva   (03.03.13)
There was a coalition without hareidim thanks to the efforts of a certain "Lapid" back in 2004. Guess what their crowning achievement was? The disengagement! Bravo secular Jews. You'll only succeed in forcing thousands into jail and further widen the schism in Israeli society. All because Yesh Atid threw their toys out of the pram and refused to even so much as talk to the hareidim. Sad.
11. 4
zionist forever   (03.03.13)
If Bibi forms a coalition with Bennet, Lapid and no religious its a coalition that will last a year at best. Lapid is going to be constantly trying to dictate terms and eventually the friction will build up and Likud back benches will demand Bibi end this coalition. What is going to be achieved by all this equal share of the burden nonsense? Is it going to stop Iran getting a nuke, destroy Hamas or sort out the economy? Won't achieve a thing but because there is nothing secular Israelis love more than hared bashing this has been turned into an issue of such national importance than it must take priority to everything else. Lapid is the last person who will support any electoral change unless its cosmetic make him look like a reformer but without making major reforms because any real change then it would mean an end to to independent parties like his and only the big mainstream parties will survive. Drafting the haredi or keeping the religious out the coalition will not end the haredi isolation, they want it that way cut off from the secular world. and at the end of the day if they want to live in ghettos whose business is it than theirs?
12. #11
Benny   (03.03.13)
You say "if they want to live in ghettos whose business is it than theirs?" It's the business of every Israeli citizen paying taxes and serving in the army. Why should they pay to keep the haredim in "ghettos"? Is that true democracy for you?
13. 6 zionist forever
Michael Feldman   (03.03.13)
You are completely wrong. Lapid and Bennett want to correct something fundamentally wrong in Israel. I hope they will succeed.
14. bibi at his best
peter ,   tel aviv   (03.03.13)
That's perfect. Now Bibi is blaming as usual others for being responsible of harming Israel while he the lone rander is out there trying to save the day. In the same way he called on Lapid and Bennet to join now the coalition to avert the Iranian threat. If he thinks that this is not the way he wants the coalition to be be and to look he should go back to the president and tell him he can not form a coalition. But then again he wold have to call off the Facebook action for choosing his wife's outfit for the Obama visit and that he will not dare. Sara won't allow it.
15. Shas has themselves to blame :
Barbara ,   Haifa Israel   (03.03.13)
Last four years, all they did was fight for their own kind, giving financial community upgrades that were beyond normal, protecting boys from entering army and the extreme female bias. Also that Deri is now in their party after being in prison - is not (for me) a given. Power corrupts - even among the religious.
16. Stick to your guns...Yair, Naphtali..and Shelly!
Mark ,   Lodz, Poland   (03.03.13)
17. Religious parties....
jeremy ,   hula valley kibbutz   (03.03.13)
I personally don't like Lapid but if he can work for a better Israeli society then great keep the religious parties out of the collation or at least don't give them the Ministry of interior or housing
18. #6 zf, fortunately she is much smarter than your fantasies.
Michael ,   California, USA   (03.03.13)
Yechimovich can be the head of an opposition and affect the future of Israel much more than as one of the Ministers in Netanyahu's government. Lapid doesn't need another election because he has enough now to prevail over Netanyahu and in four years he will double his party's size. The present Knesset is as good or bad as previous ones, that's what people have elected and it will do the job. Your metzitzot mi'hasharvul make no sense, so stop creating the empty fantasies.
19. I hope it is really, really true!
Avouskila ,   South America   (03.03.13)
Well, if it'll come to be,i.e the inclusion of Yair and Bennet 's parties in the government, and thanks to the condition of Yesh Atid, this act will exclude Shas (why in the Israel media the party is considered Ultra Orthodox?! Unlike the general religiosity decibles in Ashkenazi world is Ultra, among the Sepharads, especially the North African communities such a disingnation does not hold water)However, as far as I am concern, the prospect of almost having no Sephardo-Mizrahi official party in the future government is the act that potentially is going to create new and revolutionary alignment, and set politics on terms of etthnicity, never seen in the political world of Israel life. Not only is going to open up new way of dealing with social challenges that are neglected so far: poverty, education and yes the disparity of the distribution of the Wealth of theNation; and we know that one has many connection with the solution of the other problems.
20. Bibi is a "has been"
Philip ,   Afula, Israel   (03.03.13)
Now lets look forward to the younger and saner new politicians running a more modern and enlightened Israel.
21. Disenfranchised
Taxpayer ,   Hod Hasharon   (03.03.13)
If Netanyahu feels that it is impossible to disqualify an entire community - in fact he is so sincere that no doubt we will see him negotiation with Raam Tal next week - hardly. The Haredim in opposition would be no more disenfranchised that Meretz or the Labor party. Meanwhile much useful work can be done - rescuing the Rabbinal courts, Kashrut authorities, offices of the cheif Rabbis and city rabbis from religious extremists - stopping the rediculous situation in which we pay national insurance for our children who have done up to 5 years of army service in order for the money to be used to pay stipends to Yeshiva students. Stopping the subsidizing of the Haredim to breed and take over the country. These are good days for Israel - the question is why is Bibi so afraid of having a zionist government.
22. # 9
Philip ,   Afula, Israel   (03.03.13)
Just follow the money and you will understand.
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