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The prime minister is expected to meet Thursday with Yesh Atid Chairman and Knesset member Yair Lapid, and try to encourage him to be more flexible regarding the haredi inscription issue. Netyanhu will tell Lapid: we need the haredim for the political process, and Habayit Hayehudi for equal distribution of social burden. Yesh Atid: Lapid will insist on a small government.
Netanyahu intends to present Lapid with his formula for the establishment of a wide coalition with Shas and Habayit Hayehudi, but Yesh Atid does not expect them to succeed in building such a coalition.
The meeting between the two was arranged Wednesday by the head of the negotiations team of Yesh Atid, Hillel Kobrinsky, and the bureau chief for Netyanhu, Gil Shefer – with the goal of promoting a direct channel of negotiations. This after the past two days in which no negotiation meetings were held. No meetings are expected to take place in Kfar Hamaccabiah in Ramat Gan on Thursday either.
The prime minister will try to convince Lapid to compromise on the issue of the equal distribution of social burden, and will suggest that Lapid create a blueprint outlining the new plan, that will better reflect the results of the elections.
A source involved in negotiations between the two said that Netanyahu intends to establish a broad unity government, in cooperation with Lapid, chairman of Habayit Hayehudi Naftali Bennett, the haredim, Livni and Mofaz. “Netanyahu believes that he must not miss this opportunity to jump start the political process, and to bring real and immediate change with equal distribution of social burden.”
“We must integrate the haredim because without them there will not be a true political process,” Netanyahu said explaining the desire to include everyone in the coalition. “On the other hand, in order to promote equal distribution of burden, you cannot establish a government that is dependent on the haredim.”
Even so, the estimation is that Lapid will find it difficult to accept such a makeup. Sources in the party Yesh Atid estimated on Wednesday that it will not be possible to establish a wide coalition due to two reasons: gaps with the partners that Netanyahu wants to add, and because a wide government will have too many ministers.
“Lapid will not support this,” said one of the party sources, who anticipated that Lapid will insist on the establishment of a small of 18 minister government, especially considering the expected cuts in state budget.
This, together with the new closeness between Lapid and Bennett, has led Habayit Hayehudi to create their own outline regarding equal distribution of social birden – which they plan to present within the framework of the coalition negotiations.
Sources in Habayit Hayehudi say that there is agreement between Bennett and Lapid regarding the general idea of the drafting of haredim, and now they must close the final version with Netanyahu.
In the meantime, as the Shas leadership sends messages of appeasement to Habayit Hayehudi, the party spokesperson is viciously attacking the National Religious Party.
Nearly all the columns in the newspaper are reporting on attacks in one direction: Bennett and his party. On the cover of the newspaper\’s political insert, Shas displayed photos of soldiers crying during the (2005) Gaza disengagement – in order to push the most painful buttons of the settlers.