Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu according to all the polls is likely to emerge from the elections for the 20th Knesset as prime minister. Like the man or not, it cannot be argued that he is a career politician, one with a wealth of experience and carries credentials that leave his competitors far behind, all but ensuring another election success.
However, being the seasoned politician that he is, having been elected to serve as prime minister three times, Mr. Netanyahu is not wasting time and is actively mending fences with chareidi parties even before the bill is passed to dissolve the 19th Knesset.
Nearing the end of his nationally televised message on Tuesday evening the eve of 11 Kislev, explaining why he fired two cabinet minister, Mr. Netanyahu added he feels that lomdei Torah that do not serve in the IDF do not have to be sent to prison. “I objected to criminal sanctions but this is what fell upon me”, explaining when the Shaked Committee was finalizing the Share the Burden Law, he remained opposed to the criminal sanctions aspect.
The prime minister used the prime time media event to send the clear message to the chareidim, realizing following the elections, Shas and Yahadut Hatorah may have about 17-18 seats and bringing them on board will be a major priority in his coalition talks.
(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
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Danon: We Must Return to the Likud Way
Likud MK says that the Likud must not try to “appease Tzipi Livni and her colleagues”.
By Benny Toker and Elad Benari: 12/3/2014,
MK Danny Danon, who heads the Likud Central Committee, on Tuesday evening said that elections could have been prevented, and said he hoped the Likud will learn the lesson from the coalition collapse.
“The makeup of the coalition undermined the governance, the mistake was that instead of forming a government with Bennett and the hareidi parties, [Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu] first of all added Tzipi Livni. That was a mistake, and we saw that Livni and Lapid did nothing but mess things up,” Danon told Arutz7, hours after Netanyahu fired Finance Minister Yair Lapid (Yesh Atid) and Justice Minister Tzipi Livni (Hatnua), effectively disbanding the government.
He added that the Likud must not be complacent and return to its nationalist roots.
“If we do not go back to the path of the Likud we are in trouble. Freezing construction and releasing terrorists is not the Likud,” said Danon. “We must return to our way soon, we are now steering the wheel and we must not be afraid. A leadership that wants to appease Tzipi Livni and her colleagues is not a leadership.”
Danon called on new faces to join the Likud, saying, “Immediately after the law dissolving the Knesset passes, we’ll gather the Likud Central Committee and we’ll be open to anyone who wants to join. I’m proud of the Likud which made it possible for Moshe Kahlon, who came from a development town, to be the Minister of Communications and which made it possible for me to get to where I am. The Likud is a democratic party that gives a chance to everyone.”
You lost them the last time , they are still the most devoted just don’t choke them
If that is so, he had no need for an election at this time, unless his motive was to get rid of Livni, Mofaz and Lapid (their replacement as a coaltion partner is Kahlon who is much less problematic).
Like him or not, he’s likely to win and so mending the fence early on seems most intelligent. No?
Oh, one more thing!
Any way to get the Palestinian MKs out?
Based on the past, Netanyahu can not be trusted. He stabbed the Chareidim in the back & now he expects them to just roll over for him?
yes
Likud’s position was always that they would like them to serve but not to force them -and not to force the IDF- to do something they don’t want. Lapid wanted to act like he was the real PM and that alliance with Bayit Yehudi created a big problem for Likud.
ha! Now BY is stuck with no friends from the other religious and is stuck with their shortsighted alliance with a party that’s on the way out.