Posted on 03/14/2013 6:43:54 AM PDT by Former Fetus
Likud Beytenu, the Bayit Yehudi and Yesh Atid reached the final stages of coalition talks Wednesday night, with Bayit Yehudi chairman Naftali Bennett negotiating to break the impasse between Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and Yesh Atid leader Yair Lapid.
After days of arguing over the Education and Interior portfolios, the number of ministries in the government, the Knesset Finance Committee, and changing Hatnua's coalition deal, the parties reached an apparent compromise brokered by Bennett on Monday evening, meeting late at night to iron out the final details.
Shai Piron of Yesh Atid will be Education Minister, while the Likud's Gideon Sa'ar will be Interior Minister. The government will have 22 ministers, including Netanyahu, meaning that the table added for the last 30-minister government, that was removed this week, can remain dismantled.
The Bayit Yehudi will hold the Knesset Finance Committee. In addition, Hatnua's coalition agreement remained the same, and the party has two ministers – Tzipi Livni as Justice and Amir Peretz as Environmental Protection.
>>SNIP<<
Bennett will be Vice Premier and have three portfolios. He will be the Economy and Trade Minister, a new name for the Industry, Trade and Labor portfolio, and have authority over the Diaspora and Jerusalem Ministry as well as an expanded Religious Services Ministry that includes conversion, the chief rabbinate and supervision of yeshivas. Bayit Yehudi MK Eli Ben Dahan will be Deputy Religious Services Ministry with all of the responsibilities of a minister.
>>SNIP<<
The government is expected to have only four female ministers – Livni, Immigration and Absorption Minister Sofa Landver, Livnat, and German
(Excerpt) Read more at jpost.com ...
only four female ministers
There's already one too many! I know, I know, Bibi needs Hatnuah. Or does he? I wish he had found a way to compromise with the Ultraorthodox, if that's possible, rather than invited her into his new government... Was he really trying to have a government on time for Obama's visit? Has he let Obama pressure him into doing something that he will regret very soon? Does Bibi think that Obama will be "nicer" to him now? Ohh! I'm getting a splitting headache, just thinking about it.
Bottom line is that Netanyahu has come out of that election much weaker and his time as Premier is limited. He knows that he has only a narrow time to deal definitively with Iran. Obama has no interest in military action and would love to just run out Netanyahu’s clock. Yet it his highly doubtful that Netanyahu will leave office and leave Iran’s nuclear program intact. Those vulnerable American ships in the narrow confines of the Persian Gulf are at great risk.
Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go (Joshua 1:9)
I've just read that Bennet and Lapid had given up on being Vice Premier, but I cannot find anywhere who's got the title. Do you know?
I don’t think Tzipi counts as a girl. I mean she’s got the right plumbing and bone structure and all, but something’s missing somewhere.
Liberalism is a very feminine way of thinking, though. There is something very unfeminine about her mind-set, even though it is left wing.
Well, the VP of the USA theoretically replaces the POTUS, but how much real power is that?
I think the more important thing is the DPM gets to pick (within reason) who heads committees and things like that.
I certainly don’t pretend to understand it, and the rules seemingly change every day.
They can also do side agreements passing out powers that normally reside with a given post; such agreements may or may not be public or official.
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