MESOPOTAMIA NEWS ISRAEL LATEST : Compromises paving way to unity government

Yamina leader Naftali Bennett and Ra’am chairman Mansour Abbas will meet to resolve final differences preventing formation of a unity government.

By GIL HOFFMAN   – JERUSALEM POST   JUNE 2, 2021 19:58

Yamina leader Naftali Bennett and Ra’am (United Arab List) chairman Mansour Abbas will meet on Wednesday evening, in an effort to resolve the final differences preventing the formation of a unity government.Abbas added last-minute demands on Wednesday, following multiple conversations with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. After Netanyahu offered to cancel a law enforcing fines on illegal Arab building, Abbas demanded the same from the unity government being formed.

Ra’am MK Saeed Alharumi said he would vote against the new government if the issue of legalizing illegal Arab building is not part of the coalition agreement. The Southern Islamic Movement’s Shura Council is meeting on Wednesday night to make a final decision about whether to enter the coalition.

Another dispute appeared to be on the way to a compromise after Bennett’s number two in Yamina, MK Ayelet Shaked, accepted a rotation in the Judicial Selection Committee with Labor leader Merav Michaeli. According to the compromise, Shaked would serve on the committee in the first half of the term, along with an MK from Labor, and Michaeli in the second half, along with an MK from New Hope.

The committee is due to select six new Supreme Court judges over the next four years. It automatically includes the justice minister, who will be New Hope leader Gideon Sa’ar, one additional minister, an MK from the coalition and one from the opposition. There are also representatives from the current Supreme Court and the Bar Association.

During Wednesday’s vote for president in the Knesset plenum, Yamina leader Naftali Bennett spoke at length with Shaked and spoke twice with Michaeli, in an effort to resolve the dispute.

Yesh Atid leader Yair Lapid must tell President Reuven Rivlin and Knesset Speaker Yariv Levin by Wednesday night at 11:59 that he can form a government; otherwise, the mandate goes to the Knesset, where any MK has the option to build a coalition with the support of 61 MKs.

Lapid wanted to inform Levin that he had formed a government during Wednesday’s Knesset session, in order to make sure the Knesset speaker would schedule a vote of confidence in the new government and the swearing in of the new ministers by next week. But final deals were not reached in time. It is expected that once Levin receives word from Lapid that a government is ready, he will insist on waiting as long as permitted by law in order to maximize pressure on Yamina MKs.

Marathon talks among representatives of the eight parties set to join the coalition at Ramat Gan’s Kfar Hamaccabiah Hotel finalized coalition agreements with every party overnight Tuesday night, concluding with a deal with Blue and White. A Blue and White spokeswoman said they agreed upon a number of central policy areas to advance and strengthen democracy and Israeli society at large.