Chairman of the Yisrael Beitenu party, MK Avigdor Lieberman, was interviewed on Thursday morning, November 28, 2019, on ‘Radio Reka’, explaining that he is willing to join a Likud/chareidi coalition to stabilize it by bringing it to 63 seats. However, for this to occur, he calls on the prime minister to pressure the chareidi parties to make concessions on a number of matters pertaining to religion and state.”
This signals a major policy change by Lieberman, who until recently declared he is unwilling to enter into a coalition with the chareidim.
“Netanyahu is absolutely unwilling to pressure the chareidim to make concessions. At present, the stumbling block to forming a coalition is due to Netanyahu’s unwillingness to part from the chareidi-messianic bloc. It is like a Catholic wedding. They can never separate, and this is what is preventing Yisrael Beitenu from entering a coalition.”
He listed, “giyur, civil marriage, public transportation on Shabbos are the matters important to us. Netanyahu is unwilling to give us anything.”
He adds, “He always gives in to the Orthodox and all our attempts to not become involved in anything to do with public transportation [we ignored] because Netanyahu gave in to the chareidim – Litzman and Gafne. We cannot permit ourselves to enter into such a coalition.”
Lieberman added he did not wish to place himself in the argument between Netanyahu and the heads of Blue & White regarding the identity of the government that will be in charge during the first portion of a rotation agreement.
“The two parties decided not to work together, and they will not even make the smallest concession. Blue & White wishes to be first and Netanyahu also does not want to give in. There is a stubbornness that cannot be understood. Netanyahu could agree to permit Gantz to serve first and in the interim; he would take a break to deal with his trials. It is a stubbornness that can’t be understood.”
Likud MK Miki Zohar in a tweet called on PM Netanyahu to summon Lieberman for a meeting today (Thursday).
(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)
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4 Responses
Lieberman wants to shift all the blame off himself
Hes making ridiculous demands knowing the chareidim cannot agree
I think ALL the political parties would support ANY coalition which could extract a firm commitment from the religious parties for some form of either military service or alternative public service for Chareidim (perhaps with deferrals for a small percentage of “all star shteigers’). Absent some consensus on this divisive issue, I don’t see how a stable and sustainable political coalition can be formed.
va’yiftach Hashem ess pi ho’osoin….
GH Etc
there are far more momentous issues for our people than the draft right now
to pretend as he invariably would do this is the primary issue is typical false grandstanding though expected
while the issue of the draft as of other long-term outstanding issues will need to be addressed from both sides
[ that is such as lowering the length of service for all soldiers and getting rid of some need to take orders from Superior female officers ]
March 3, 2013
Dr. Martin Sherman
..Thus, while Bayit Yehudi issued a very upbeat announcement declaring complete consensus and coordination with Yesh Atid, I would be highly skeptical as to whether such consensus/coordination extends to the cardinal issue at the center of the respective DNAs of the parties: The issue of Palestinian statehood.
Moreover, even on issues on which such consensus/coordination is said to prevail, I foresee future divergence.
For Lapid’s core constituency, the demand for haredi conscription is a great drum to beat – so long as it remains unfulfilled. For I have a very strong suspicion – corroborated by recent pronouncements by several prominent left-wing figures – that if it were to begin to emerge as a tangible prospect, the biggest opponents to it would be many of those who demand it most vociferously today.
After all, the last thing Lapid’s “core” wants to see is battalions of bearded ultra-Orthodox enlistees with M-16s slung menacingly over their shoulders.
Dr. Martin Sherman served for seven years in operational capacities in the Israeli Defense establishment. He was a ministerial adviser to Yitzhak Shamir’s government and lectured for 20 years at Tel Aviv University in Political Science, International Relations and Strategic Studies