From the Liveblog of
Monday, March 18, 2013
Livni: It will be hard with this coalition to energize peace efforts
Today’s ceremonies will begin with the election of former Diaspora affairs minister Yuli Edelstein as Knesset speaker. Edelstein will then make a brief address. Then Netanyahu will present his government.
All of this is taking place, of course, less than 48 hours before Barack Obama’s scheduled arrival for his first presidential visit.
Tzipi Livni, caught in the Knesset corridors, tells Channel 2 it will be “very difficult” to energize negotiations with the Palestinians — the job on which she will focus as well as being minister of justice. But she’s going to do her best, she says.
Naftali Bennett, the hardline Jewish Home leader and incoming minister of economics and trade, says he opposes any gestures to woo the Palestinians back to the negotiating table. He acknowledges differences with his coalition partners over the issue, and notes, “Brothers can disagree.”
The Times of Israel Community.