Deri attacks: "Lapid wants the government without the orthodox"

Tonight (Sunday) negotiation meetings ended between Shas seniors and Likud Beitenu representatives with an unoptimistic atmosphere.

Aryeh Deri said after the meeting in Kfar Maccabiah in Ramat Gan: "We exchanged opinions, argued, we agreed and we agreed at the end to hold more meetings.

"The prime minister wants very much that we will be in the coalition, that’s what we understood from conversations with him and interpreted from those negotiating on his behalf. But there is a difference between the actual acts of good will, because there are parties who impose impossible conditions."

Concerning the question of the meeting with Lapid, Deri said: "We never have set conditions; we want to sit down with Lapid. Unfortunately Lapid sets conditions which meaning is a government without charedim. Those who impose the attitude of black and white with no kind of compromise, its meaning is one thing - he wants a government without charedim. I believe that Habayit Hayehudi will also realize later that you cannot live with such conditions."

Minister Eli Yishai said: "There are quite a few gaps in budget issues and equality burden. Netanyahu is closer to understandings with Yesh Atid, yet he tries to form a government as widely as possible."

Meeting began in the afternoon first at Kfar Maccabiah with Likud representatives and representatives of other parties, first – Yesh Atid and Habayit Hayehudi, followed by ultra-Orthodox parties and Avodah, Meretz and Arabs.

At 13:30 Yesh Atid officials came to Kfar Maccabiah: Hillel Kovrinsky, who led the party's campaign, Attorney Ronen Eviani, Uri Shani and Danny Wesley. At 15:00 Habayit Hayehudi representatives came to the meeting and the first day of discussion will end with Shas whose representatives arrived at 16:30 pm.

Shortly before the opening of the discussions the lawyer Yitzhak Molko said that he was resigning from the negotiating team of the Likud - Beitenu. The reason: his role as a messenger of the Prime Minister for talks with the Palestinians.

According to the report, the decision was made by Molko jointly with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, since it was decided that Molלo will continue in office as the Prime Minister envoy for negotiations with the Palestinians. Likud issued a statement which said that Attorney General Yehuda Weinstein ruled that Molko is unable to perform both roles together.

The party of Yair Lapid, Yesh Atid, the first for negotiations and most significant, intends to require as a condition of opening the reduction of the number of ministers in the government and cancel jobs of ministers without portfolio, the legislation goes further to equality of burden and changing the system of government, renewing political negotiations and return to the government Center Party's at least one more - when Kadima may be the fig leaf.

Lapid also requires of course the issue of equality in the burden of regulation, which may make or break the negotiations with the orthodox parties. Regarding the distribution of cases, Lapid may require for himself the foreign portfolio, the portfolios of Education, Justice, and Housing and the chairmanship of the Finance Committee.

At the end of the first meeting between representatives of the Likud and Yesh Atid, it was reported: "The coalition negotiating team of the Likud Beitenu and Yesh Atid met today for the first day work meeting. The meeting took place in a relaxed and positive atmosphere. The parties presented their positions, and determined to meet again later this week.

'בחדרי' גם ברשתות החברתיות - הצטרפו!