Embattled Netanyahu asks Rivlin for more time to form coalition
BENJAMIN NETANYAHU’S meeting on Monday with Reuven Rivlin, where the President gave him a 14-day extension of the period in which to form a coalition, was on the face of it just a formality.
No one is seriously questioning Likud’s victory in the election last month or that Mr Netanyahu is the only one in the running to form the next government.
But the fact that he needs more time betrays a structural weakness in what is supposed to be his fifth term in office.
The leaders of Mr Netanyahu’s potential coalition partners — the five parties that are expected to join Likud — are all fully aware this is not just any other politician they will be partnering with. This is a prime minister facing indictments of bribery, fraud and breach of trust, and therefore Mr Netanyahu’s term may be cut drastically short.
In the meantime, they have much more power than usual to drive a tough bargain, which is why they are sticking to their demands and waiting for Mr Netanyahu to give in.
This is especially true of Avigdor Lieberman and Moshe Kahlon, who despite having emerged from the election as leaders of small parties of five and four Knesset members respectively, are demanding the two most powerful jobs in the cabinet — defence and finance. But not only are they insisting on the mostcoveted portfolios, they also have key demands on policy.
Mr Kahlon insists that, if he remains Finance Minister, he can prevent new tax raises, which will make it extremely difficult for Mr Netanyahu to fulfil the demands of the Strictly Orthodox and far-right parties, who have a long list of high-spending projects they want the Prime Minister to sign off on.
Mr Lieberman is demanding that, as Defence Minister, he be allowed to enact the policies he argued for before he resigned from that same post six months ago: a much tougher Israeli policy in Gaza and passing the new law to draft yeshiva students into the IDF, exactly as prepared under his previous ministry. This puts him on a collision course with the Charedim, who insist on changes to the law.
A solution on yeshiva students is currently what is standing between Mr Netanyahu and coalition agreements with United Torah Judaism and Shas. The other main Charedi demand, that public infrastructure work not be carried out on Shabbat, will be met by appointing a representative of the Chief Rabbinate to the committee which decides on Shabbat work permits.
The Charedi parties have 16 Knesset seats in all but, without Yisrael Beiteinu’s five, the coalition will not have a majority. And there are other obstacles, too.
Bezalel Smotrich, one of the leaders of the Union of the Right-Wing Parties, is still demanding the justice ministry. He and Mr Netanyahu see eye-to-eye on the passage of laws to drastically limit the powers of the Supreme Court.
Mr Smotrich wants this for ideological reasons: to minimise the High Court’s ability to intervene in governmental decisions and legislation regarding the West Bank. Mr Netanyahu needs it to allow his government to pass a law giving him immunity from prosecution. But neither leader trusts the other enough, which is why Mr Smotrich wants the job, and has so far refused the alternative prospect of the housing ministry with enhanced powers to build in the settlements.
It is not rare for a newly elected prime minister to take all the time at his disposal to form a coalition. Deals are often sealed only on the very last day. But no previous prime minister has ever been forced to negotiate under this level of pressure.
His term in office may be cut drastically short’
Demands for new law to draft yeshiva students