Likud wants deal with UTJ by tomorrow

Senior Likud officials say that they are making intense efforts to finalize the coalition agreement with United Torah Judaism by Tuesday, ahead of Memorial Day, NRG reports.

“It is not closed, but we are doing what we can in order to sign a coalition agreement by Tuesday,” a Likud official says. “Odds are at about 50%” to resolve all outstanding issues between the two parties by that date.

Negotiations with Kulanu and Shas are also said to be near completion, but agreements will likely only be signed after Independence Day celebrations, early next week.

Coalition talks with Jewish Home are going less well. Party leader Naftali Bennett tweeted a threat to leave the talks and not join the government. Bennett was reacting to reports that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was intending to give Shas leader Aryeh Deri the Religious Affairs Ministry, a portfolio sought by Jewish Home.

According to Channel 2 political analyst Amit Segal, Bennett feels emboldened by TV appearances by both Zionist Union leaders who clarified over the weekend they would in no way join a unity government with Likud. This possibility was in any case unlikely and many political pundits accused Netanyahu of hinting at unity only as a lever to pressure Jewish Home and Yisrael Beytenu to lower their demands in coalition talks.

Segal assessed that Bennett will join the coalition since his party shares most values with Likud and the right-wing bloc, but that the sides will exhaust each other in coalition talks right to the very end of the allotted time to establish a government.