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Last update - 16:57 26/02/2009
Coalition talks
Israel's next government will be 'more Jewish and more Zionist'
By Haaretz Service and Reuters
Tags: Livni, Netanyahu, Israel News 

Israel's next government will be "more Jewish and more Zionist", the confident faction leader of the right-wing National Union party declared Thursday, following coalition talks with members of Prime Minister-designate Benjamin Netanyahu's Likud party.

"There was very positive atmosphere at the meeting [with Netanyahu]," said Yaakov Katz, as he emerged from the talks at Kfar Maccabiah in central Israel. "...There is an understanding with Likud that the next government will be more Jewish and more Zionist."

Netanyahu, who was tapped to form the next government following national elections two weeks ago, initially turned to mainstream Kadima and Labor, but was rebuffed. Some Kadima members are, however, rebelling against party leader Tzipi Livni's determination to sit in opposition, and urging her to join a Likud-led coalition.
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But a senior member of Likud said Thursday that differences over Palestinian statehood are likely to scupper Netanyahu's efforts to forge a broad government with Livni.

"There is across-the-board agreement on Iran, Hezbollah and Hamas but there is a big gap between Kadima and Likud on the two states for two people. It's unsolvable," Silvan Shalom, a senior Likud legislator and former foreign minister, told Army Radio.

Netanyahu plans to meet Livni on Friday in another attempt to recruit Kadima. He wants to shift the focus of U.S.-sponsored peace talks from thorny territorial issues that would set the boundaries of a state to shoring up the Palestinian economy.

Netanyahu has said any Palestinian state must have only limited sovereignty and be demilitarized.

Livni has said Kadima would not join a government that does not commit clearly to a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

As Israel's chief negotiator with the Palestinians in the outgoing government, Livni has been at the forefront of a land-for-peace process whose declared aims are to achieve a viable Palestinian state and security for Israel.

"Unfortunately the answers we are receiving from Kadima leaders is that there is no chance of her changing her position. And it seems that tomorrow she will say a final 'no'," Silvan Shalom told Army Radio.

Asked about Shalom's remarks, a Kadima spokeswoman said Livni's position was unchanged.

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      1.   If Hamas signs for a two-state solution 12:55  |  Nora 26/02/09
      2.   The way to solve the Likud-Kadim problem is the same as... 13:11  |  Jehudah Ben-Israel 26/02/09
      3.   Well... what is the real reason...? 13:18  |  Esther 26/02/09
      4.   livni 13:21  |  gila 26/02/09
      5.   Kol Havod to Livni 13:23  |  Brian- Israel 26/02/09
      6.   Bibi`s Falacy 13:26  |  Tzfonit 26/02/09
      7.   Two state solution 13:35  |  Mladen 26/02/09
      8.   Fantasyland 13:42  |  Giora Me`ir 26/02/09
      9.   Time for a New Consensus 13:43  |  Yitzhak Sokoloff 26/02/09
      10.   Hamas and the two state solution 16:45  |  abjad 26/02/09
      11.   UNSC must issue a binding resolution and force peace! 16:49  |  Ali 26/02/09
      12.   good that the difference is admitted & recognized - 16:53  |  ivo 26/02/09
      13.   Well, I guess that is clear for the rest of the world 16:57  |  Yaakov Sulklivan 26/02/09
      14.   Bibi got it , others still delusional 17:03  |  TOMY 26/02/09
      15.   Jordan=78% of "Palestine" ...and there`s your 2 state solution 17:06  |  Jae 26/02/09
      16.   Rhodesia and Israel 17:11  |  John Stein 26/02/09
      17.   Finally - A zionist gov`t for the Jewish State 17:13  |  A Proud Jew 26/02/09
      18.   FORGET the LEFT DOVES 17:29  |  leokam 26/02/09
      19.   "more Jewish" 18:12  |  Giora Me`ir 26/02/09
      20.   1Brian. Livni keeping principles? What are you talking about?,,, 18:17  |  bat yam 26/02/09
      21.   joh stein in istanbul,hamas has the same "fight to the last man" 18:21  |  R-E-S-P-E-C-T 26/02/09
      22.   there needs to be 3 states 18:32  |  alan 26/02/09
      23.   "Israel`s next government will be `more Jewish and more Zionist`" 18:35  |  flyingdoc57 26/02/09
      24.   What it means? 18:38  |  Can 26/02/09
      25.   To Jehudah Ben-Israel 18:45  |  John 26/02/09
      26.   To Tzfonit -6- 19:15  |  S Awaad 26/02/09
      27.   T Tomy of Ny -14- 19:27  |  S Awaad 26/02/09
      28.   New government 19:30  |  Gila 26/02/09
      29.   If by more "Jewish", who will define the term? 19:48  |  Yaakov Sullivan 26/02/09
      30.   Isn`t time for Change ? 19:54  |  Akram Zekaria 26/02/09
      31.   Ahalan S. Awad in Rafah 19:57  |  Tzfonit 26/02/09
      32.   About time 20:10  |  Realist 26/02/09
      33.   No peace as long as these people are elected 20:40  |  me 26/02/09
      34.   # 13 Yaakov Sulklivan 20:58  |  jack 26/02/09
      35.   Israel`s next government will be `more Jewish 20:59  |  Jay Draiman 26/02/09
      36.   John Stein wants jews to commit suicide 20:59  |  A Jew 26/02/09
      37.   #26 S Awaad , Your statement 21:01  |  TOMY 26/02/09
      38.   2 states `unsolvable` 21:01  |  David K 26/02/09
      39.   Be prepared for elections in 2010 21:06  |  sephardic portuguese 26/02/09
      40.   26Awaad. Bi-state possible? You Arabs can`t even live in peace 22:31  |  just wondering 26/02/09
      41.   Who is Bibi? 14:10  |  Pablo Luis 27/02/09
      42.   Mindset and Decompression 04:39  |  Pete 18/03/09
      43.   National Union guest for cable TV show 19:26  |  brenda loew 06/07/09
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