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Netanyahu meets coalition heads to address government tensions
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu yesterday met with the heads of his coalition partners, amid speculation over significant tension within the government on the eve of the Knesset’s winter session which begins on Sunday.
The past several weeks has seen sharp disagreement between Netanyahu and Finance Minister Yair Lapid over the 2015 budget, which is behind schedule, but must be passed by the Knesset before the end of the year. This week, Netanyahu angered Justice Minister Tzipi Livni’s Hatnuah party, by rejecting proposed legislation which would reform the state-sanctioned Jewish conversion process. Although Livni has said that Hatnuah will push the bill with opposition support, another coalition partner Jewish Home has suggested it will leave the government if it becomes law.
Netanyahu yesterday met with the heads of the parties in his coalition in what appeared to be an attempt to address the tensions. He told the cabinet, “I call on all the members of the coalition to work together” and demanded a “stable, strong and responsible government.” According to the Jerusalem Post, it was decided to form a committee with representatives from each coalition party, tasked with resolving their differences.
However, Haaretz reports that the atmosphere was rather less conciliatory between Netanyahu and Economy Minister Naftali Bennett, who heads the Jewish Home party. Apparently, Bennett and fellow Jewish Home minister Uri Ariel urged Netanyahu to advance construction plans in the West Bank, which they believe have been effectively frozen. According to the report, Bennett and Ariel said that if such action did not take place, then the Jewish Home faction would abstain in a no confidence motion set for next Monday. Although such a move would not topple the government, it would likely spark serious coalition instability.
Despite the tensions, Netanyahu insisted earlier this week that elections are not in the pipeline. Yair Lapid yesterday echoed his sentiments, telling reporters, “elections are not what the State of Israel needs now.”