Yishai-Livni meeting postponed

Talks put off at last minute for "personal reasons;" sources say FM not considering gov't without Shas.

By GIL STERN STERN HOFFMAN, JPOST.COM STAFF
Livni cool 248.88 (photo credit: Ariel Jerozolimski [file])
Livni cool 248.88
(photo credit: Ariel Jerozolimski [file])
Kadima leader Tzipi Livni invited Shas chairman Eli Yishai to her Tel Aviv home late Wednesday night for a meeting that could have decided the fate of her efforts to form a new government, but Yishai postponed the talks, which had been set to begin after midnight, citing "personal reasons." The invitation came after Shas officials warned Livni that Kadima's deal with Labor would distance Shas from her new government, because it gave Labor chairman Ehud Barak a veto on legislation and the government's agenda. Livni's associates said that despite much support in Kadima for a Shas-less government, she was not seriously considering forming a narrow 60-MK coalition without Shas and with Labor, Meretz, and the newly reunited Pensioners Party. "I don't think a government will be formed if Shas doesn't join the coalition," Kadima negotiator MK Tzahi Hanegbi, who is close to Livni, told Israel Radio. "I see no point in forming a government that won't last. If she decides there is too much extortion [from Shas], she will tell the president that she prefers early elections." The No. 2 man in Shas, Communications Minister Ariel Atias, mocked Kadima's offers of NIS 500 million for child welfare allotments. He said NIS 1.5 billion were cut from the benefits and must be restored. "We aren't looking for promotions for anyone, respect for anyone or special titles," Atias said. "We are only interested in helping poor families. If they only receive an extra NIS 100, it is a joke. At this point, we are closer to initiating elections than to joining the government." Kadima's negotiating team met for three hours on Wednesday with United Torah Judaism lawmakers in an effort to show Shas that there was an alternative coalition partner available. A Kadima official said a deal could be finalized with UTJ before Shas. UTJ chairman Ya'acov Litzman told the Kadima representatives he was aware that he had only been invited "to scare Shas." He called the meeting a "waste of time" and said he was "not optimistic" about reaching a deal with Kadima. Litzman spoke with Yishai ahead of the meeting to coordinate strategy for increasing child welfare allotments. He was unimpressed by Kadima's proposal from the Knesset Finance Committee chairmanship, saying he was offered the post many times by current Prime Minister Ehud Olmert. Despite Barak's statements about wanting a wide coalition, Labor officials said the party would refuse to give up the Finance Committee, which is chaired by Labor MK Avishay Braverman, to enable UTJ to enter the coalition. Barak spoke with Meretz chairman Haim Oron about their two factions cooperating on various issues if Meretz joined the government. Oron met for two hours with Livni on Wednesday night, and the Kadima and Meretz negotiating teams are set to meet at her Tel Aviv office on Thursday. Meretz MKs are eager to join the coalition. "We want Livni to know that there can be a government without Shas," Oron said after his meeting with Livni. "We talked about all the big diplomatic and economic issues. We are ready to join the government if our requests are met."