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Likud: We'd be happy to have Yisrael Beiteinu in our coalition
By Haaretz Service
Tags: benjamin netanyahu 

Likud said on Wednesday that chairman Benjamin Netanyahu would be "happy to see Yisrael Beiteinu as a central partner in [a] government" formed under his leadership.

Likud faction whip Gideon Sa'ar gave Yisrael Beiteinu negotiator MK Stam Misznikov a document responding to five principles that the smaller party's chairman, Avigdor Lieberman, had presented as conditions for joining a Netanyahu-led coalition.

In its response, Likud told Yisrael Beiteinu that it would agree to the latter's conditions for joining, but stopped short of promising to follow through with each demand.
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The first concern Yisrael Beiteinu posed was with regard to the issue of legalizing civil marriages, a push which could be stymied by a coalition comprising right-wing religious parties like United Torah Judaism and Shas.

"Likud reasons that a solution must be found to the personal status of 300,000 people who are not Jewish according to religious law, who immigrated to Israel over the last two decades," Likud wrote in response, though did not detail what such a solution could look like.

Yisrael Beiteinu also posed in its conditions the issue of denying or withdrawing citizenship from those found to be disloyal to the state, a platform the party had used throughout its campaign.

"Likud's stance is that every citizen of the state, all the more so if by choice, has the obligation to be loyal to the State of Israel. Likud has supported and even pushed forth a number of legislative changes to this regard," the party wrote.

"Likud will be prepared to investigate, along with its coalition partners, the need for any amendments to the Citizenship Law, in accordance with international legal norms and compelling legality," Likud added.

The party also said that it would work to establish compensation funds for those who complete the Israel Defense Forces and National Service.

Likud promised to actively pursue "simplifying and making more effective the immigration process within a legal framework," and to look into creating a number of permanent conversion courts under the supervision of local rabbinates.

Yisrael Beiteinu had also raised concerns regarding the war on terror and changing the government's system of immigrant absorption, both issues which were received positively by Likud.

President Shimon Peres began consulting with all the parties on Wednesday on who should be the next prime minister, with neither Netanyahu nor Kadima chief Tzipi Livni having a clear edge.

The main question is whom Lieberman will recommend - and Lieberman, who has been in Belarus for the past few days and was expected to return only Wednesday evening, is keeping his cards close to his chest.

Sources close to Netanyahu say that Lieberman will recommend neither of the two candidates. Should that happen, neither would have a majority of 61 Knesset members behind them.

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