LIVE BLOG: Netanyahu, Bennett, Lapid expected to sign coalition agreement Thursday

[Jefferson23]

Israel's new government expected to be sworn in Monday; universal IDF draft a top priority; Ze'ev Elkin in line to become deputy foreign minister.
By Jonathan Lis | Mar.14, 2013 | 3:56 PM

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was set to meet with Habayit Hayehudi chairman Naftali Bennett and Yesh Atid leader Yair Lapid on Thursday to sign a coalition agreement after a breakthrough the day before following weeks of negotiations.

The 33rd government of Israel is expected to be sworn in on Monday.

7:00 P.M. Yuli Edelstein submits resignation from Knesset ahead of his appointment as speaker.

5:50 P.M. Likud MK Ze'ev Elkin in line to become deputy foreign minister. Reports say the Ukrainian-born lawmaker will run the ministry until after Avigdor Lieberman's corruption trial.

In a recent interview with veteran Israeli journalist Lily Galili, Elkin – who resides in the isolated West Bank settlement of Kfar Eldad – said that his ultimate goal is to become prime minister. He also said that opposes the two-state solution and that he does "not believe in real peace."

3:56 P.M. Habayit Hayehudi said Netanyahu's last minute decision not to appoint any deputy prime ministers, a first in 50 years, violates an agreement with their party.

in full: http://www.haaretz.com/news/national/live-blog-netanyahu-bennett-lapid-expected-to-sign-coalition-agreement-thursday.premium-1.509362#

[leveymg]

1. We'll send them a check and another 1,000 buster bunkers no matter what. They know it, and no

longer even care about appearances or what they say publicly.

[azurnoir]

2. It seems that the settlers are the big winners here

The settlers will rise in power in Israel's new government

The government has not yet been finally constituted, but it seems that most of the key positions will be filled by settlers and their supporters. We may assume that as housing minister, Uri Ariel will devote a good deal of his time to expanding the settlements in the West Bank and advancing tenders and building in the Jewish neighborhoods of East Jerusalem. He will certainly say that construction in the settlements will contribute to supply and to lower housing prices.

The probable new defense minister, Moshe Ya’alon, is considered among the settlers’ favorite figures in Likud. The defense minister is key to construction in the settlements, opening and closing the faucet as he pleases. Ya’alon, who attacked his predecessor Ehud Barak for dragging his feet in approving construction in the settlements, and for thwarting the legalizing of illegal outposts, intends to change the policy.

As opposed to the last four years, settler leaders will have an open door to the defense minister’s office. They will find one of their own in the next office, too, that of the deputy defense minister. MK Ze’ev Elkin, a settler himself, is slated for that job, and will be in charge of the whole matter of settlements.

..................................

There are practically no checks and balances on the other side. Lapid does not consider the settlements a problem; in his election campaign he opposed a construction freeze. He will not be the one who stops the increase in funding to the settlements secretly started by his predecessor, Finance Minister Yuval Steinitz. Hatnuah chairwoman MK Tzipi Livni will not stand in the breach alone. Livni, who has been put in charge of negotiating with the Palestinians, will have plenty of free time to deal with the over-burdened and slow-moving courts, as future justice minister.

http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/the-settlers-will-rise-in-power-in-israel-s-new-government.premium-1.509212

[Jefferson23]

3. How does this not add more fuel to the fire for Israel isolating itself even further

within the international community, more fuel for BDS; and will the measures this coalition will take,
having made statements confirming for the record, to expand more settlements, be a game changer
for the US over the next four years?

[azurnoir]

5. well we can hope it's a game changer but I'm not holding my breath

but just what is the end game here?

[Jefferson23]

6. If Israel had their way? A strike on Iran. Obama has said no to that and I doubt

that will change. The settlements? I do hope the international community will step up but
primarily this will end when the Palestinians push collectively for themselves..en masse.

I do not see how Israel avoids deep isolation with this coalition considering their plans going forward,
a bleak future that may involve the ICC.

* on edit for clarity.

[sabbat hunter]

4. a very good sign however

is that the ultra orthodox have no seats in the cabinet.

[Jefferson23]

7. Turbulent road ahead for Netanyahu coalition

Centre-right government set to be formed in Israel seems wired for dysfunction, analysts say.

Gregg Carlstrom Last Modified: 15 Mar 2013 09:29




Jerusalem - Things were not supposed to work out this way for Binyamin Netanyahu.

The Israeli prime minister called for early elections in September amid growing discontent on a range of issues. He hoped to splinter an Israeli left which was recently showing signs of life, and to head off a challenge from his right flank, both from other parties and from within his own Likud.

But the next few months were a litany of bad decisions, analysts and politicians here say.

Netanyahu's alliance with the ultra-nationalist Yisrael Beiteinu, a party that largely caters to immigrants from the former Soviet Union, alienated many voters from within Likud.

And the prime minister underestimated the popularity of both Yair Lapid, a former television journalist who launched a new centrist party, and Naftali Bennett, a onetime aide to Netanyahu who now leads the right-wing Habayit Hayehudi.

The combined Likud-Beiteinu list underperformed in January’s elections, and it took nearly six weeks of negotiations for the weakened prime minister to cobble together a coalition. A deal was to be signed on Friday, after a last-minute disagreement between Netanyahu and Bennett was resolved.

If his new government is sworn in as expected on Monday, it will be without Shas and United Torah Judaism, two parties representing ultra-Orthodox Jews that have been mainstays of Netanyahu’s coalition. They provided reliable right-wing votes in exchange for economic subsidies and exemptions from army service for their voters.

http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/features/2013/03/2013314212723780311.html

[bemildred]

8. I'm just dying to see what these guys are going to do now.

One is reminded of three-legged races at a picnic.

http://namanx.blogspot.com/2009/08/three-legged-race-record-plans.html

[Jefferson23]

9. ha ha...very good. These clowns are dangerous, they'll position themselves and run in a stubborn

non co-operative fashion regardless of whether it's good for Israel or not..then they all fall down.

They'll need a mediator of their own.