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Israeli newspapers: Netanyahu experiencing government crisis over Passover holiday

April 18, 2014 at 9:27 am

As the Jewish Passover holiday starts, the Likud Beiteinu-led coalition government of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is experiencing a crisis because of internal differences over the stalemate in the Palestinian-Israeli peace talks, Israeli newspaper Maariv has reported.


According to the Arab 48 news website, the report argued that the Israeli government is now under the hammer of the extreme right wing Jewish Home Party and the anvil of the leftist Hatnua Party.

It said that the leader of Jewish Home, Naftali Bennett, is threatening to leave the coalition should Netanyahu accept the US framework for continuing the peace talks, while Tzipi Livni, the leader of Hatnua, is expected to leave the coalition if the peace talks fail.

Although Bennett has candidly declared his position, Livni has not; but the newspaper said that Amir Peretz, Livni’s fellow leader in her party, has stressed that they would leave if the peace talks fail.

The Times of Israel newspaper quoted Peretz as saying: “The time has come for Netanyahu to decide whether this government is an extreme right-wing government or a government that continues the peace process,” referring to Bennett’s threat to leave the government.

He continued: “One thing is clear: there is an alternative to the [current] government without Bennett. There is no alternative to the government without the peace process.”

Maariv added that Livni would not be able to face the internal pressure inside her party, which is calling to leave the coalition if the peace talks are abandoned. It also expected that the Yesh Atid Party, led by Yair Lapid, would also leave the government if the peace talks fail.

The newspaper noted that if any of the aforementioned parties do leave the coalition, there would be a need to hold early elections. However, it said that if Hatnua left the coalition without Yesh Atid, the coalition could survive, albeit in a non-viable condition.

Maariv concluded that the casting votes are in the hands of Minister of Housing and Construction Uri Ariel, Deputy Foreign Minister Zeev Elkin and Deputy Defence Minister Danny Danon, all members of the Likud Party who are against any concessions to the Palestinians, but at the same time, angry with Bennett for not cooperating with them.

It also said that the leaders of the Jewish Home Party are still hesitant to leave the current coalition because they are afraid of not being able to achieve a right wing government after the elections.