Livni Calls on Labor's Herzog to Join Forces to Advance Peace Process

Justice Minister Tzipi Livni called on newly elected Labor Party chairman Isaac Herzog on Monday to form a political alliance with her Hatnua party, in order to counter the alliance between Yesh Atid chairman Yair Lapid and Habayit Hayehudi chief Naftali Bennett.

Speaking Knesset caucus for the resolution of the Israeli-Arab conflict, Livni said the alliance she is proposing would demonstrate to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu the parties' support for peace negotiations with the Palestinians.
"We are still paying the price for the alliance between 'the brothers' Yair [Lapid] and Bennett," she said. "So let's form a new alliance – an ideological alliance for a political solution."

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Livni added: "We have six months to prevent a permanent agreement with Iran that would make it [a nuclear-armed state] and six months to achieve a permanent settlement with the Palestinians that would guarantee Israel is a secure, Jewish and democratic state."

On Saturday, Herzog declared that he would not join the Netanyahu government, which he called paralyzed, saying that such a move would not be logical for us. Herzog made the comments during a Channel 2 Meet the Press interview, two days after his landslide victory over incumbent chairwoman and opposition leader Shelly Yacimovich.

"I don't recommend the prime minister go to sleep with one eye open, awaiting a call from me," said Herzog. "There is no point entering the Netanyahu government in its current composition. Does he have a government that will agree to evacuate settlements? This is a paralyzed coalition. There is no reason or logic to sit in it."