Gal-On: Kadima is willing to meet most of our demands

The negotiators also prepared to meet with Shas, most likely on Thursday, and again with Meretz.

By SHELLY PAZ
Gal-On 224.88 (photo credit: Ariel Jerozolimski [file])
Gal-On 224.88
(photo credit: Ariel Jerozolimski [file])
Kadima's negotiators met on Wednesday with the Meretz, Gil Pensioners and United Torah Judaism parties in an attempt to close coalition agreements with them. The negotiators also prepared to meet with Shas, most likely on Thursday, and again with Meretz. "We got the impression that Kadima wants Meretz in the government and it is willing to meet most of our demands," Meretz MK Zehava Gal-On told The Jerusalem Post shortly after their meeting ended. However, she added, "two important matters weren't settled yet: our demand that [Daniel] Friedmann not remain justice minister and our demands in the political area." She said the two sides would meet on Thursday and that a party meeting would be held afterward to discuss whether Meretz was willing to sit in Livni's government. "Of course, we need to see what Shas will receive. We can't enter a coalition that agrees to Shas's demand of not handling the Jerusalem issue in the political negotiations with the Palestinians," Gal-On said. Later Wednesday, Kadima's negotiators met with the Gil Pensioners team of negotiators. The latter party stated on Tuesday that they, too, wanted to reopen the coalition agreement and demand additional allocations for pensioners. The decision came following the "financial achievements made by the rest of the parties that haven't hesitated to reopen their agreements and demand more money," a source at the party told the Post. Early Wednesday morning, Health Minister Ya'acov Ben-Yizri met with Shas spiritual leader Rabbi Ovadia Yosef and told him that the Pensioners Party did not plan to join a narrow government. Shas chairman Eli Yishai also attended the meeting and stressed the social reasons behind his party's demands from Kadima. Yishai attacked Finance Minister Ronnie Bar-On on Wednesday for his ministry's initiative to grant bank owners financial aid. "When it comes to the stress of the bank owners, the people of the Treasury appear to be merciful, and all of a sudden they find NIS 6 billion to assist them," he said. "Unfortunately when it comes to the stress of the regular homeowners, they can't find even a single shekel to assist the poor."