After the signing of a coalition agreement between Likud and Shas and the resignation of Avigdor Liberman, the fate of "the government of 61" lies in the hands of Habayit Hayehudi leader Naftali Bennett.
The agreement between Shas and Likud has aroused anger in the Habayit Hayehudi party, and its Knesset members demanded from Bennett last night that he should seek greater influence in the government and not compromise on the ministerial posts he has so far received. The faction members authorized Bennett to conduct urgent negotiations over the next twenty-four hours, and protested against the handing over of the Ministry of Religious Affairs to Shas in its entirety.
A source close to Bennett told party activists that in addition to the posts already promised Education and Diaspora Affairs for Bennett, Agriculture for Uri Ariel, and Culture and Sport for Ayelet Shaked the party would demand "a ministry with dramatic influence".
People in the party fear that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will not make do with a government based on 61 out of the 120 Knesset members, and will want to bring in the Zionist Union, and so want the party to have greater sway in the coalition. Unless Bennett reaches agreement with Netanyahu by tomorrow, Netanyahu's mandate to form a government will lapse.
Likud party sources said yesterday, "The responsibility for the formation of a nationalist government is now on Naftali Bennett's shoulders. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu made Habayit Hayehudi an unprecedented proposal for it to join a nationalist government headed by him. If Habayit Hayehudi refuses this offer, there is only one alternative to a nationalist Likud government: a left-wing government headed by Herzog, in which the religious Zionist movement will have no representation, which will vacate settlements, compromise on Jerusalem, hurt the religious Zionist public, and bend before international pressures."
Published by Globes [online], Israel business news - www.globes-online.com - on May 5, 2015
© Copyright of Globes Publisher Itonut (1983) Ltd. 2015