Subscribe to Print Edition | Sun., October 19, 2008 Tishrei 20, 5769 | | Israel Time: 10:14 (EST+7)
Haaretz israel news English
web haaretz.com
  Back to Homepage
Haaretz Toolbar
Diplomacy
Defense Jewish World Opinion National
Print Edition
Car Rental
Books Haaretz Magazine Business Real Estate Easy Start Travel Week's End Anglo File
Last update - 20:05 16/10/2008
Ex-Kadima frontrunner Mofaz urges Yishai to join Livni gov't
By Mazal Mualem and Barak Ravid, Haaretz Correspondent
Tags: Kadima, Tzipi Livni 

Transportation Minister Shaul Mofaz urged Shas Chairman Eli Yishai to join the coalition currently being formed by prime minister-designate Tzipi Livni.

Mofaz, who was narrowly beaten by Livni in last month's Kadima leadership contest, said that Shas and Kadima should form a "strategic partnership." He made the plea in a phone conversation with Yishai.

Livni herself met with Yishai on Thursday after a meeting scheduled for Wednesday evening was cancelled. After the meeting ended in the mid-afternoon, Livni aides described it as a successful one.
Advertisement
Negotiators from two parties met after their leaders' talks to discuss the future of the coalition.

Yishai's aides said he had to skip the Wednesday meeting in order to attend a personal event.

The minister's ultra-Orthodox party and United Torah Judaism have decided to coordinate their coalition negotiations and condition their entry into the coalition on the addition of NIS 1 billion to the budget for child allowances.

Shas officials said on Wednesday that they had rejected an offer from Livni to increase child allowances by NIS 600 million.

Political sources from various parties thus predicted that Livni would have to substantially up her offer - to something approaching the NIS 1 billion that Shas is demanding - to sign a deal.

Shas has also said it would not agree to spread the sum out over a period of several years, which Kadima would prefer.

Livni's negotiating team did, however, meet on Wednesday with Knesset members from UTJ, in a bid to communicate to Shas that it's not indispensable.

Kadima sources claimed afterward that the UTJ team was surprised by the generosity of Kadima's budgetary offers, which in many areas even exceeded their demands.

But UTJ faction chairman Yaakov Litzman denied this, saying that no progress was made at Wednesday's session and that the likelihood of UTJ entering the coalition without Shas was almost nonexistent.

"Our basic demands are identical," he explained. "So if a deal is worked out with us, then Shas will join in any case."

Earlier, upon entering the room, Litzman had warned: "If we're here to threaten Shas, I'm leaving."

Livni also met on Wednesday with Meretz-Yachad chairman Haim Oron, before Thursday's meeting of the parties' negotiating teams. Both that and the meeting with UTJ - after which Kadima members made sure to inform Shas of the scope of Livni's proposals to the rival ultra-Orthodox party - were meant to signal to Shas that "we don't need you to form a government," and that unless it settled for a more modest increase in child allowances, Livni would look for ways to replace it.

"We're making progress with Meretz and UTJ, and you're going to lose everything," one senior Kadima member said he told Shas on Wednesday. "If you think it's either a government [with you] or elections, you're making a mistake, and you'll find yourselves drying out in the opposition."

But the UTJ MKs who attended the Wednesday's session said that they, too, are demanding an NIS 1 billion increase in the budget for child allowances, along with millions in extra funding for yeshivas, the chairmanship of the Knesset Finance Committee, and a pledge that no negotiations will be conducted with the Palestinians over Jerusalem. The latter also echoes a demand raised by Shas.

Moreover, the MKs denied Kadima's claim that specific budgetary proposals, with hard numbers, had been made. "It's all spin," said Litzman. "A few things were raised, but they didn't talk about money."

A senior Shas source said yesterday that the party had made "a strategic decision not to concede on the money for the [child] allowances. From our standpoint, negotiations won't even begin below the level of NIS 800 million. We have no intention of exerting ourselves to enter the Livni government. As is, we're disturbed by the negotiations with the Palestinians that she's conducting."

Another Shas source added: "There's a great fear in Shas that Livni is interested in going into the next elections with a 'shelf agreement' [with the Palestinians] and from the position of prime minister, whereas Shas would find itself in great trouble in such a government."

But Shas also feels it is entering the negotiations from a position of strength, so it can afford to stand firm on its demands, despite the fact that the party's spiritual leader, Rabbi Ovadia Yosef, would prefer not to call early elections.

At her meeting with Oron, Livni said that she is interested in having Meretz in her coalition. But Oron stressed that if any restrictions are put on negotiations with the Palestinians, such as Shas and UTJ are demanding, "Meretz will not sit in such a government."

The current coalition, which includes Shas, has 67 MKs; thus without Shas, Livni would be left with only 55 MKs. If she could pull if off, however, the addition of both Meretz and UTJ would bring the coalition back up to 66 MKs.

Related articles:
  • Shas stalls talks, Livni fast-tracks Meretz, UTJ deals
  • Barak's last chance
  • Yishai cancels meeting with Livni due to personal reasons
    • Bookmark to del.icio.us  
     
    Gaza protest
    Gilad Shalit supporters vow to disrupt entry of supplies to Gaza.
    Face off
    IDF mulls charging Israeli citizens for emergency gas masks.
      1.   Mofaz makes-himself-useful... at last... 16:27  |  Esther 16/10/08
      2.   What $ha$ really wants 19:05  |  Jim 16/10/08
      3.   Shas can always justify territorial concessions 00:40  |  Afikoman 17/10/08
      4.   Jim, is your son also your nephew? 01:38  |  Aristotle 17/10/08
      5.   Its about time, SOmeone demanded the end to poverty 09:41  |  Robert 19/10/08
     Read & React
    Israel expects U.S.-Iran talks if Obama elected
    Responses: 30
    Settler leader: Palestinian olive farmers destroy their own groves
    Responses: 8
    Amos Harel: Will Hamas-Israel truce come to an end in January?
    Send response
    IDF mulls charging citizens for emergency gas masks
    Responses: 1
    Editorial: 'It is sad to be the mayor of Jerusalem'
    Send response


    More Headlines
    09:03 Israel expects U.S.-Iran talks under Obama
    08:34 ANALYSIS / Israel must adapt to reality of U.S.-Iran dialogue
    09:21 Livni to ask Peres for more time to form government
    08:45 Will Hamas-Israel truce come to an end in January?
    08:48 Settler leader: Palestinian olive farmers destroy their own groves
    08:55 IDF mulls charging citizens for emergency gas masks
    23:08 Vatican: Stop pressuring pope over Pius XII sainthood
    08:49 Israel denies knowledge of Bush offer to Assad for Golan pullout
    08:58 Israel not among nations getting visa waiver from U.S.
    08:58 Gilad Shalit supporters vow to disrupt entry of supplies to Gaza
    09:01 For Sukkot, Christian pilgrims keep Kinneret's tourism industry alive
    09:09 Shi'ite hackers cripple Al-Qaida's online network
    08:41 Ex-U.K. security chief: 9/11 response was overdone
    Previous Editions
    Special Offers
    Advertisement
    Fattal Hotel Chain
    Perfectly located hotels on best resorts of Israel.
    Living in Israel Studying in English
    Click & Meet our students from all around the world
    Dial 013 for your long-distance calls
    and get all your money back
    US CITIZENS
    Vote for real change. Request your ballot today!
    Eldan Rent a Car
    Israel's leading car rental company offers you a 20% discount on all online reservations
    Jewish Singles Personal Ads
    Find the love of your life on JDate.com
    Israel's Premier Real Estate Website
    www. israel-property.com
    Hebrew Summer courses
    From $39.95
    Junkyard
    Junk a car - get free towing nationwide and a tax-deductible receipt
    Home | TV | Print Edition | Diplomacy | Opinion | Arts & Leisure | Sports | Jewish World | Underground | Site rules |
    Real Estate in Israel | Travel to Israel with Haaretz | Hotels Israel | Restaurants Israel | Tourist attractions Israel | Shops Israel
    birthright Israel | Search engine marketing
    Haaretz.com, the online edition of Haaretz Newspaper in Israel, offers real-time breaking news, opinions and analysis from Israel and the Middle East. Haaretz.com provides extensive and in-depth coverage of Israel, the Jewish World and the Middle East, including defense, diplomacy, the Arab-Israeli conflict, the peace process, Israeli politics, Jerusalem affairs, international relations, Iran, Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, the Palestinian Authority, the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, the Israeli business world and Jewish life in Israel and the Diaspora.
    © Copyright  Haaretz. All rights reserved