Israeli parties to form coalition ahead of Passover
Israel’s two leading parties, on Monday, held marathon negotiations in a frantic bid to reach a coalition agreement ahead of the one-week Jewish Passover holiday, which starts at sundown on Wednesday.
According to a senior source in the centrist Blue and White party of former military chief, Benny Gantz, everybody is interested in finalising an agreement as soon possible, ideally before Pesah, being the Hebrew term for Passover.
“Blue and White will only join an emergency unity government with right-wing Likud, of caretaker Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
if Likud safeguards democracy and joins the efforts to fight the coronavirus pandemic as efficiently and as swiftly as possible.
“One issue being discussed is whether the centrist party will accept Netanyahu’s insistence on extending Israeli sovereignty over part of the 30 per cent of the occupied West Bank.
“West Bank, under the U.S. President Donald Trump’s controversial Middle East plan, should form part of Israel,’’ the source said.
However, another Blue and White source told Israeli daily Ma’ariv that Netanyahu wanted annexation right now.
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The source added that Netanyahu was acting as if he was forming a straight right-wing government.
It said that Blue and White party would not allow the Likud to have a veto on the Judicial Selection Committee.
Likud officials said that against all odds, the talks would be successful.
An unprecedented third election under one year on March 2, ended yet again without a clear majority.
