Tzipi Livni wordt minister van justitie in nieuw kabinet Netanyahu

 

Volgens critici zal een nieuw kabinet onder premier Netanyahu geen vooruitgang boeken op het gebied van vredesonderhandelingen, ook niet als middenpartijen zoals Yesh Atid eraan deelnemen. Met Livni erbij (en Yesh Atid zal vrijwel zeker ook aanschuiven) verwacht ik toch dat het vredesproces vlotgetrokken zal worden, immers lijkt dat haar belangrijkste politieke doel te zijn. Wie de verdere coalitiegenoten zijn staat nog niet vast, maar mogelijk biedt zelfs Shas nog hoop. Als tweede man is hier immers de populaire Aryeh Deri teruggekeerd, die in jaren '90 het vredesbeleid van Rabin steunde (het gelinkte rechtse artikel waarschuwt in dit opzicht juist voor Deri).

 

Zeer curieus voor Nederlandse begrippen is de manier waarop in Israel de coalitiepartners één voor één aan boord worden gehaald, dat viel me bij de vorige verkiezingen ook op. In Nederland wordt met meerdere partijen tegelijk onderhandeld over een regeringsakkoord, maar in Israel hangt het meer als los zand aan elkaar, en spreekt het kabinet ook niet met één mond, maar ventileren ministers makkelijk hun eigen mening.

 

Wouter

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Coalition deal: Livni to serve as justice minister; head peace talks

Nearly month after elections, PM finalizes first coalition deal; Hatnua leader to get justice portfolio, be in charge of peace talks with Palestinians

http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4346942,00.html

Yuval Karni

Published:  02.19.13, 17:53 / Israel News

Nearly a month after the national elections, Likud-Beiteinu has finally sealed its first coalition agreement: Hatnua Chairwoman Tzipi Livni finalized a coalition agreement with Likud-Beiteinu on Tuesday. According to the agreement Livni will serve as justice minister in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's third government and will also head the Israeli negotiation team during any future peace talks with the Palestinians. In addition, Livni will be a member of the prime minister's inner cabinet.

 

Netanyahu will supervise over the negotiations, and any draft agreement will require the government's approval.

  

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Fellow Hatnua member Amir Peretz, a former defense minister, will apparently receive the Environmental Protection portfolio. However, there is a small chance that Amram Mitzna, who is placed second on Hatnua's Knesset roster, will serve as Environmental Protection minister.

 

First coalition deal. Livni and Netanyahu (Archive photo: Yaron Brener)

 

The agreement between Livni and Netanyahu was reached without the knowledge of Hatnua faction members. Haim Ramon, Livni's political ally, was not informed of the deal.

 

The PM and Livni are expected to release a short statement on the agreement at around 8 pm.

 

According to the agreement, following the establishment of the next government, a team of ministers, headed by Netanyahu, will be set up to oversee the peace process. Livni, as well as the next defense and foreign ministers, will be a part of the team.

 

The agreement states that once the government is established, "the prime minister and justice minister will work to resume the diplomatic process. In case an agreement is reached, it will be brought to the government and Knesset and, if the law requires, it will be put to a referendum."

 

Livni is the first leader from the Left-Center bloc to sign a coalition agreement with Likud-Beiteinu. Her party won only six seats in the January 22 elections. Following the vote, Livni vowed not to join the government without other Left-Center factions.

 

"Hatnua was the only party to wave the diplomatic flag in the elections," she said at the time, adding that the party would agree to be a part of the next government only if it will "lead the diplomatic process, as we promised during the election campaign."

 

The 28 days given Netanyahu to form a government will be over in less than two weeks, but apart from the deal with Livni, no progress has been noted in the coalition negotiations.

 

Sources within the Likud-Beiteinu negotiation team said that the PM is planning a breakthrough in the next few days – so that agreements can be reached with the coalition partners before an extension is required.

 

Concurrently, Lapid and Bennett stated that negotiations have stalled. "It's been a week since any significant negotiations have taken place," said Bennett.

  

"Habayit Hayehudi has time, Israel doesn't. Our faction is interested to be in the government to serve, and we're interested in joining Netanyahu. The moment they decide to negotiate I believe an agreement can be reached within 24 hours."