No progress in Likud-Blue and White government talks

A four-hour meeting between the Likud and Blue and White parties has ended on Friday afternoon, without reaching a deal on a coalition government, Arab48.com reported.

Teams from both parties have agreed to resume their talks next week, on the basis of the plan initiated by Israel’s president, Reuven Rivlin, stipulating a rotation of leadership.

According to Arab48.com, the conditions of the plan are that the Likud head, Benjamin Netanyahu, will begin as prime minister and if he were to be charged with corruption he would be ousted, and not wait to resign after two years.

The Likud party detailed in a statement that their negotiations team have asked the Blue and White party to respond to Rivlin’s proposal, regarding whether or not they agree to it as a basis for the discussion.

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However, Likud claim that Blue and White did not reply, refusing to continue the talks the next day, and that they would resume talks on Sunday.

Meanwhile, Blue and White have proposed a number of issues to be discussed during the talks, but the Likud team have insisted on their condition that Netanyahu must remain a prime minister, and that the rotation would be discussed.

Blue and White have stated that they rejected that Likud talk on behalf of the entire right wing (55 seats), and have considered Netanyahu’s insistence on remaining prime minister, as intentional procrastination to lead the country to third elections.

An informed senior source at Blue and White, described the talks as “the discussion of the deaf” and stressed that the talks are still in the infant stages.