Israel 2009

[ag]

So, erm, Labour has been asked to join the government, and Barak said yes.  But large parts of the party are saying no.

The Labor Central Committee voted in favor of joining. 7 out of 13 Labor MKsare against - and, at least 5 have said they'd vote against the gov't whatever the decision of the Central Committee. We might be watching the Labor implosion.

[Antonio the Sixth]

So, erm, Labour has been asked to join the government, and Barak said yes.  But large parts of the party are saying no.

Just disgusting...

[ag]

Another funny thing is: given all the ministries now committed to various coalition agreements, there are only 5 or 6, mostly minor (except for Finance), portfolios left for Likud. It seems, if this circus does go through, half the Likud cabinet members will be without portfolio (or else, departments will be partitioned).  Likudniks are seething, laborites are dreadfully split: it seems, Netaniyahu is managing a national reconciliation of sorts: a lot of people hate what he is doing. And that is even before they form the gov't.

Anyway, 5 cabinet positions for the 6 Knesset votes Barak can deliver... This is quite generous

[ilikeverin]

My goodness.  I wonder whether, through the twisted rules of logic that seem to be applying here, Kadima could benefit from this all.  They seem to be the only ones not joining the Cabinet-'o-Ridiculousness, in any case.

[ag]

Well, actually, they aren't the only ones out

So far, the gov't is assured of the following votes: Likud 27, YB 15, Shas 11, Labor (Barak) 6 - the other 7 Laborites are against the coalition, though some might be persuaded (though 5 of these have said they'd vote against it no matter what). Together that makes it 59 reliable votes - they need 61.  There are 3 more right-wing parties available, but United Torah Judaism (5 seats) apparently refuses to seat in the gov't w/ the secular YB (they don't so much object to YB on principle, but YB managed to get points into the program unacceptable to UTJ). This, by the way, migt explain why Netaniyahu was going so far to get the Laborites: without UTJ, the right wing has 60 seats - one short of what they need. That leaves the National Union (4 seats) and the Jewish Home (3 seat), anyone of which would get the coalition to the majority (if I were Netaniyahu I wouldn't risk going for the vote without the ultras, since the behavior of 7 out of 13 Laborites is, at least, unpredictable).

Quite a coalition. Barak and Ben-Elieser are getting themselves into a very interesting company. 

[True Democrat]

Barak's ego needs to be kept in check.  It screwed over the Syria negotiations in West Virginia and now he's abandoning any principles just to have what little power he can get his hands on.

[Verily]

Well, the survival of Meretz is ensured for the next election.

[ag]

So,this is what Barak got. He is staying on as the Defense Minister, Isaac Herzog is staying the Social Affairs Minister, Shalom Simhon is continuing as the Agriculture minister, Fuad Ben-Elieser will be appointed Industry, Trade and Labor Minister: 4 major positions at the top of major departments. In addition, Matan Vilnai is going to be the Deputy Defense Minister.  They are also promised another deputy minister job, and a mnister w/out portfolio.

So far 7 Laborites have accepted the decision to join the gov't (Orit Noked is the other Barak ally, and Daniel Ben-Simon, though originally opposed, has said that he will accept the Central Committee decision). So 7 jobs for 7 people - neat deal.  YB people seem puzzled: they have 15 seats in Knesset and as many seats in the cabinet as Labor. They might be reconciled though by the thought that Laborites will sanctify Lieberman as the FM. Likudniks are fuming: they have 27 seats, and will control barely more departments then the Laborites (only Finance among the important ones).

6 people have said they will stay in the Labor party - but in opposition. Labor, as it currently exists, might be gone - they are very likely to split. The labor MKs against the coalition are, if I am not mistaken, Eitan Cabel (party Sec. Gen.), Ofir Pines-Paz, Shelly Yahimovich, Yuli Tamir, Amir Peretz and Avishai Braverman. Without them the gov't needs another coalition partner - they are negotiating w/ NU.

[ag]

Well, the survival of Meretz is ensured for the next election.

Their leaders are calling on dissident Laborites to join. Actually, makes a lot of sense: 3 Meretzers + 6 dissident Laborites would make a bigger faction then the official Labor.

[danny]

Likud have signed with Jewish Home, and Hershkovitz will become the minister of science.

[ag]

Likud have signed with Jewish Home, and Hershkovitz will become the minister of science.

Yep. And what is Likud getting? Ministry for Electronic Cow Barn Construction in Southeastern Negev?

[danny]

And here's how the ministries will be distributed based on current agreements that could change:
Labor:
defence (barak)
welfare (Herzog)
industry and commerce
agriculture (Simhon)
without portfolio

YB:
foreign (Lieberman)
internal security (Aharonovich)
infrastructure (Landau)
tourism (Miszhenkov)
immigration (Landver)

Shas:
interior (Yishai)
housing and construction (Atias)
religion (Margi)
without portfolio (cohen)

JH:
science (Hershkovitz)

which leaves Likud with:
education (sa'ar)
finance
transport
communication
environmental protection
health
development of the Negev and Galilee
pensioners
diaspora, society and the fight against antisemitism (Edelstein)
Strategic affairs (a classic example of a completely meaningless ministry created purely to make someone a minister).
minister for connecting between the government and the knesset (aka the minister for chair warming).

[Filuwaúrdjan]

lol!

[ag]

They should split Galilee and Negev - that's two departments already! And diaspora, society and fight against antisemitism can surely be made into three departments! Hey, I would think 2 people could share the heavy burden of the fight against antisemitism alone - that's an eternal job, anyways!

I remember once passing a sign in Moscow which said:

Russian Soviet Federated Sociallist Republic (it was a long time ago)
The Council of Ministers of the RSFSR
Ministry for Construction in Distant Parts of Northern European Russia (or something like that)

I think the Israelis could learn from the old mother Russia, the country that once had separate ministries for Light Manufacturing, for Heavy Manufacturing and for Intermediate Manufacturing (considering that the latter was just a Newspeak for the Ministry for Nuclear Mischief, this would be tripply appropriate - my Ministry for Electronic Cow Barn Construction in Southeastern Negev would be even more descriptive, methinks).

[ag]

Yeah, thinking of it, Likud (sans Netaniyahu) would have gotten more in a Kadima-led cabinet.

[Hash]

France had a combined Ministry of Work and Labour (the two things are quite different in France), so Israel could split Work and Labour. Or create a Ministry of Free Time, like in the first Mauroy government.

[danny]

Don't think that this is the end, if more parties join the coalition and/or people within Likud make too much of a fuss more ministries will have to be created for them.

[danny]

Apparently I missed the fact that they're splitting the ministry of science culture and sport into science for Jewish Home and culture and sport for the Likud.

[danny]

Two of the Labor "rebels" have now changed their minds will support the coalition:
Ben Simon who will become chairman of the party and Braverman who will be the minister of minorities.

[Hash]

They need a Minister of Free Time.

[ag]

Netaniyahu is planning to keep finance for himself This guy has some guts: this is courting rebellion.

[danny]

Netaniyahu is planning to keep finance for himself This guy has some guts: this is courting rebellion.

I hope so, the guy deserves it.

[Thomas216]

Rubi Rivlin (69, Likud) was confirmed today as the new speaker of the Knesset.
This will be his second tenure as the speaker after he served as the 14th speaker during the 16th Knesset (2003-2006).

I love this guy, he’s funny, he has a sense of humor and he's what we call a true "Likudnik", he believes in the Likud platform and follows it.
Though a hardliner Rivlin is well respected by the public all across the board as a decent and humble man.

Here's him singing at Teddy Kollek's 76th birthday, Kollek's the legendary mayor of Jerusalem, Rivlin was a member of the city council and with him singing Uzi Baram, a former Labour MK.
Rivlin's on the left: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bypP2Go8qVU

I'd like to see Bunning and Schumer sing together, bet Schumer has some nice moves

[Meeker]

They let Lieberman be Foreign Minister?!?!

[Verily]

They let Lieberman be Foreign Minister?!?!

It could have been worse; he could have been named Defense Minister.

Anyway, this coalition will not survive more than a year. Hopefully it won't do too much damage during that time