Blue and White: The ball is in Likud’s court, we’re not budging

Sources in the Blue and White party tell Ynet news that they are not willing to compromise on judicial appointments in coalition talks with Likud, and that if the ruling party does not confirm that it will not push for changes to the way judges are chosen, the negotiations cannot resume.

“We have informed them that until they tell us that there is no change to the section about the Judges’ Selection Committee, there is nothing to talk about,” party sources said, according to Ynet.

Having previously indicated a deal on an emergency unity government was done, the Blue and White party said yesterday evening it was breaking off coalition talks with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud over the latter’s efforts to walk back an agreement regarding judicial appointments.

Netanyahu’s party was previously said to have demanded veto rights in the appointments committee, or that decisions only pass with a majority of eight out of nine members. Those demands were then reported to have been nixed — with the parties agreeing that any decisions be made in agreement — before Likud was reported to have backtracked on the matter, leading negotiations to stall.

— Raoul Wootliff