Subscribe to Print Edition | Mon., October 27, 2008 Tishrei 28, 5769 | | Israel Time: 02:17 (EST+7) web haaretz.com   Back to Homepage Haaretz Toolbar Diplomacy Defense Jewish World Opinion National Print Edition Car Rental Books Haaretz Magazine Business Real Estate Peres Center Travel Week's End Anglo File

Pensioners invited to merge with Likud - and say no By Mazal Mualem Likud chairman Benjamin Netanyahu recently invited the Pensioners Party to merge with Likud, after which some of its MKs would be given reserved spots on Likud's Knesset slate. However, Pensioners chairman Rafi Eitan rejected the offer. The proposal was meant to torpedo Kadima chairwoman Tzipi Livni's efforts to form a narrow government, meaning one without Shas or United Torah Judaism, since to do so, she needs the Pensioners. Netanyahu met with Eitan about the idea last week and also spoke with him by telephone. Advertisement "Netanyahu met with me and made me offers," Eitan said. "I immediately said no and I didn't want to discuss the matter." However, most of Netanyahu's efforts to keep Livni from forming a government have been directed at Shas. Thus, when that party finally turned Livni down Friday morning, he breathed a sigh of relief, though he was still not completely easy: He feared that Livni would come back with an even better financial offer that Shas could not refuse. Netanyahu has been actively courting Shas, promising that it would be the first party to join his government should he win the next election. Kadima officials claim he also promised to restore the child allowances that he himself cut as finance minister in Ariel Sharon's government. MK Tzachi Hanegbi, the head of Kadima's negotiating team, told Channel 2's "Meet the Press" program yesterday that Shas officials had told him "'your proposals are irrelevant, because we've received double from Bibi [Netanyahu].' We requested permission to quote that. We've quoted it, and we haven't seen a denial." Yesterday, a Netanyahu associate responded, "Kadima's spins were more successful in the past." The new closeness between Likud and Shas is the result of a campaign Netanyahu began waging about a year ago, long before Kadima's leadership primary and Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's resignation, in an effort to rebuild his party's historical alliance with Shas. That alliance was shattered during Netanyahu's term as finance minister, when Shas claimed that his policies, and particularly the sharp cuts in child allowances, hurt the poor in general and its constituents in particular. Subsequently, Shas became Olmert's most loyal coalition partner. Bookmark to del.icio.us   New anti-Semitism? German economist equates criticism of bankers with 1930s scapegoating of Jews. Playing with fire Hebrew University study shows humans made fire as early as 790,000 years ago.

Read & React Settlers vandalize Muslim graves after IDF razes outpost Responses: 203 Livni: I won't pawn Israel's future for the prime minister's chair Responses: 114 Hisham Nafa': Israel has turned its Jewish victims against its Arabs Responses: 55 Pennsylvania GOP disavows email likening Obama vote to rise of Hitler Responses: 123 Gideon Levy: Settlers have earned many Israelis' hatred of them Responses: 116 More Headlines 00:31 U.S. confirms strike on Syria that killed eight 00:34 Livni: I won't pawn Israel's future for the prime minister's chair 16:55 Revealed: IDF foiled kidnap bid, arrested infiltrator from Gaza 13:20 MI Chief: Syria has become Hezbollah's de facto arsenal 00:37 Mazuz calls for incitement probe against settler activists in response to West Bank rioting 20:33 German economist compares criticism of bankers to 1930s anti-Semitism 11:51 Pennsylvania GOP disavows email likening Obama vote to rise of Hitler 01:48 Police still at loss over motive in Hod Hasharon murder-suicide 01:27 Safed deputy mayor indicted for stealing art from city 23:48 Barak to UNIFIL: Hezbollah arms smuggling violates UN resolution 1701 21:02 Hebrew University study shows humans made fire 790,000 years ago 22:23 Report: Ex-U.S. general in Mideast says Israel can't hit Iran nukes 18:42 Park inspector foils stabbing attack in Jerusalem 15:47 Israel Navy deploys state-of-the-art missile defense shield 21:35 Ahmadinejad denies reports he has become ill due to exhaustion Previous Editions Select Day 26 oct 24 oct 23 oct 22 oct 21 oct 20 oct 19 oct 17 oct 16 oct 15 oct 14 oct 13 oct

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