Habayit Hayehudi: Netanyahu will have to give up on the Haredim"

Senior Likud officials say that, despite past reports of Netanyahu's desire to see Yair Lapid as the main coalition partner, the Prime Minister clarified before the chairman of Habayit Hyehudi, Naftali Bennett, that he wants to reach coalition agreements first with the natural Likud-Beitenu partnership – Habayit Hayehudi and the ultra-Orthodox parties, reports Zeev Kam at Ma'ariv.

According to the report, the Likud said that "Netanyahu clearly said to Bennett that he wants him in the coalition for genuine and honest partnership. He wants to see Bennett as a first seal of the coalition agreement, and he wants to form a government that would be composed primarily from natural partners – Habayit Hayehudi and Haredim. On this basis, and only after there will be a coalition, Netanyahu would also include Livni, Mofaz and Lapid."

A senior Likud source said that during discussions with Habayit Hayehudi and Yesh Atid, it is very difficult to resolve the issue of equality burden. He said that Prime Minister Netanyahu really wants to attach Habayit Hayehudi party to the coalition before the other parties. Besides official negotiations teams, another informal team operates to break up the treaty between Habayit Hayehudi and Yesh Atid.

But officials in the political system say, the tempting offer Netanyahu laid before Habayit Hayehudi- education portfolio, a senior economic portfolio and deputy defense minister - had the opposite effect, and only strengthened the bond between Bennett and Lapid.

Yesh Atid also said similar words: "The Likud must replace their disc on the negotiations, and get used to it that here we speak in values, rather than in portfolios."

Habayit Hayehudi claim that it is only a matter of time until the prime minister understands that he will have to give up the ultra-Orthodox parties, if he wants to form a coalition. "Right now, Netanyahu is in the process of implementation. He is still digesting the new state of the alliance between Lapid and Bennett, but in the end he will realize he must give up the Orthodox.

According to the report, those same sources claim that, contrary to expectations, the religious parties do not blame Bennett for the situation, but rather Netanyahu "he played with Bennett, and the Orthodox are now paying the price," explained Habayit Hayehudi. "They feel that because of the game resulted in Netanyahu's personal motives they are hurt."

Other party officials explained that if Netanyahu wants, he can close coalition with Bennett and Lapid in two days, "he can be sure it will be a stable coalition. It is not like someone wants to take him down, like he thinks."

Meanwhile, Habayit Hayehudi are denying that Naftali Bennett has heavy pressure from inside the party to join the coalition with the Likud, after Kol Yisrael Radio reported that political sources said that the party leadership connection are concerned the connection with Yesh Atid will hurt Habayit Hayehudi.

Yesterday Naftali Bennett and Uri Ariel met with Meir Porush and Moshe Gafni of Yahadut Hatorah, to persuade them to join the coalition and not oppose the joining of the orthodox parties. At the meeting held in Bennett's office in Tel Aviv, Haredi MKs expressed reservations about the words of Hgr"o Yosef, when he called Habayit Hayehudi a "Home of the Gentiles."

The parties examined in the meeting the gaps and options on equal burden. At the end of the meeting it was determined that soon there will be another meeting on the matter.

Habayit Hayehudi admitted that there are significant problems in the wake of the gaps between the parties. MK Gafni said to Bennett and Ariel that his party understands that they may end up in the opposition, but they still want to try to reach an understanding about equality burden.

At the end of the meeting, Bennett and Ariel invited Gafni and Porush for a visit at the Mercaz Harav Yeshiva.

Meanwhile, the Yesh Atid chairman MK Yair Lapid, refers this morning (Friday) to the chain of blows he held last week with Shas. Lapid wrote on his Facebook page that although they publicized he has the judgment of a rodef (chaser), he prefers to travel this morning "to chase his girl on Family Day at her school. It will not help them; we will not be ensnared to a discourse of hatred and anger. Shabbat Shalom" Lapid wrote.

'בחדרי' גם ברשתות החברתיות - הצטרפו!