Netanyahu’s last-minute compromise rejected

The Likud party issued an official announcement Wednesday that it had signed coalition agreements to form a government of 60 MKs.

According to reports, agreements were signed with Shas, United Torah Judaism, the United Right and Kulanu.

However, Minister Kahlon’s party was quick to deny. “We did not sign the coalition agreement,” the party said in a statement.

The Likud answered: “The agreement with Kahlon is final but will be signed only after Avigdor Liberman joins.”

At the same time, Netanyahu turned in what he called a “final proposal” to the haredi parties and Avigdor Liberman to “prevent unnecessary elections in a few hours.”

According to the prime minister’s proposal, immediately upon the formation of the government, Liberman’s original draft law will be presented as written for renewed approval by the Knesset. After its approval, the law will be prepared for a second and third reading under mutual agreement.

The Likud said that “If agreement is not reached by the end of July and in accordance with the Supreme Court decision, the [draft deferral] arrangement will expire and the compulsory service law will apply to everyone. This means that the haredim will have to choose between Liberman’s law and a return to the original law, which means full recruitment for haredim, as for all parts of the public.”

“The proposal has been submitted to the sides, and we await their answers in the affirmative in order to establish a right-wing government tonight and prevent unnecessary elections.”

However, Yisrael Beytenu and the haredi parties refuse to accept the proposal.

Earlier, Yisrael Beytenu Chairman Avigdor Liberman addressed the crisis in coalition talks .

“There is nothing hidden behind the draft law. There is no problem other than the law. As I have already said – all the inventors of other theories – try us,” Liberman said.

“Regarding the trick of removing the heart of the law from primary legislation and changing it into a government decision – this is not cosmetics. It is emptying the law of its content. I think that every reasonable person would accept my proposal, and I think that the haredi MKs, and I know them well, are reasonable people,” he said. So I hope they will accept my proposal.”

“The haredim are still trying to transfer the recruitment targets and the expiration of the draft law from the original law [whereby these factors were determined in the legislation] to the government’s decision,” said the Yisrael Beyteinu chairman. “Under no circumstances will we let this happen.”