Tag Archive for Likud

Benjamin Netanyahu wins, 5th consecutive term as Prime Minister

Benny Gantz had also claimed victory hours earlier, as the exit polls showed his Blue and White party leading, but with 97.3% of the polling stations now counted, Benjamin Netanyahu has a clear win to form the next government.

By Ynet

 

Benjamin Netanyahu heading into his 5th consecutive term as Prime Minister, has a clear majority of support to form a right wing coalition government.

“This is an unimaginable achievement,” Netanyahu said, at around 2am. “I am very moved tonight, a night of tremendous victory. I am very excited that the people of Israel once again trusted me for the fifth time, and with greater confidence.” Continue Reading »

Despite allegations of corruption, here’s 7 reasons why Netanyahu is more popular

If you’re dumbfounded as to how an Israeli prime minister can be suspected of bribery, and yet his popularity is steadily growing in each survey taken, here’s seven reasons.

By GIL HOFFMAN

 

Plenty of people mocked the survey by pollster Avi Degani that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu posted on his Facebook page, which gave his Likud a 34-to 20-Knesset seat lead over the Yesh Atid party of Yair Lapid, the central witness against him in Case 1000, the “expensive gift affair.”

MK Yair Lapid, then Minister of Finance, speaking at the 14th Annual Herzliya Conference – Screenshot

After all, Degani has been paid to take polls for the Likud for many years, and the survey was leaked to the pro-Netanyahu Israel Hayom newspaper. Continue Reading »

Historic achievement: Another 1,300 Ethiopian Jews ‘returning’ home

 

Even in the face of budget constraints, two Likud MKs forced Netanyahu’s hand, making him backtrack after scrapping resolution on Ethiopian aliyah.

By Hezki Ezra

 

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu on Thursday reached an agreement with MK David Amsalem of his party, according to which 1,300 Ethiopian Jews will be brought home on aliyah to Israel over the course of the current year.

refused to vote with the coalition in protest since early March. The move came after Netanyahu’s office canceled the Knesset decision from last November to bring Ethiopia’s 9,000 remaining Jews to Israel, citing budget constraints as a reason. Continue Reading »

Israel President Rivlin gives PM Netanyahu 2 week extension to form new government

Likud insider: Coalition deals with ultra-Orthodox parties & Kulanu expected to be signed within days, possibly giving new government 22 ministers.
• Likud insider warns: ‘It’s not over until it’s over.’

By Mati Tuchfeld, Yehuda Shlezinger & Israel Hayom Staff

 

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met with President Reuven Rivlin on Monday morning and asked him for a two-week extension to finalize the coalition negotiations.
Continue Reading »

Likud MK: No Classified Intel Discussed if Arab MKs on Committee

MK Yariv Levin states that ‘no one’ trusts Balad MKs with classified information, even when they’re serving on Knesset committees.

By Hezki Ezra & Tova Dvorin

 

Any Arab MKs to join the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee in the 20th Knesset will not be privy to classified information, MK Yariv Levin (Likud) stated Thursday.

“The general committee will only hold discussions which do not contain classified information, whereas sub-committees will include classified intel,” he said, during an address at the Israel Democracy Institute in Tel Aviv Thursday.

“If a party insists on an MK being appointed to a committee, whether Jewish or Arab, they will get the spot, as established in the Knesset regulations,” Levin said.

Continue Reading »

Likud Report: Caroline Glick Offered 11th Spot by Netanyahu

Veteran Jerusalem Post journalist and Latma founder was reportedly offered the number 11 spot at Netanyahu’s personal request, sources say Saturday night.

By Yoni Kempinski

 

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu has requested that veteran journalist Caroline Glick be appointed to the #11 spot on the Likud list, Likud sources stated Saturday night.

Glick is a veteran journalist who founded the satirical television series Latma, is the deputy managing editor for the Jerusalem Post, and the senior fellow in a Washington-based think tank, the Center for Security Policy.

She has previously not spared criticism of the prime minister, and penned a particularly acid piece in response to the 2011 Gilad Shalit deal in the Post and on Channel 2‘s mako website at the time claiming he had made the deal “at the price of Jewish blood.”

Continue Reading »

MK Danon: Israel Must Annex Judea & Samaria, If UN Recognizes Palestine

Likud chairman Danon, who’s challenging Netanyahu for the party’s leadership, says if UN passes Palestinian resolution this week, Israel’s answer must be sovereignty over Judea and Samaria.

By Ari Yasha

 

 

Likud Central Committee chairman Danny Danon, who is challenging Binyamin Netanyahu for leadership of the party, on Saturday night called on Israel to respond to an expected UN recognition of the Palestinian Authority (PA) as the “state of Palestine” by declaring sovereignty in Judea and Samaria.

“We must clarify in the clearest terms to the world that every unilateral recognition of a Palestinian state will bring Israeli sovereignty,” declared Danon in a meeting with Likud activists in Judea’s Gush Etzion region. Continue Reading »

Danon threatens to bump Netanyahu out as Likud head if he accepts U.S. proposal

 

Deputy defense minister Danon says White House deal would mean the division of Jerusalem, abandonment of the Jordan Valley, and a return to the pre-67 lines.  “We will not agree to a framework that brings us in line with Livni.”

By GIL HOFFMAN, JPOST.COM STAFF

 

Deputy Defense Minister Danny Danon threatened to oust Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu as head of Likud if he makes too many concessions to the Palestinians in the current round of peace talks.

Netanyahu and Danon - Photo: MARC ISRAEL SELLEM/THE JERUSALEM POST

Netanyahu and Danon – Photo: MARC ISRAEL SELLEM/THE JERUSALEM POST

Speaking Thursday in an interview with Army Radio, Danon said that US Secretary of State John Kerry’s yet-to-be publicly released framework agreement can not be accepted by the head of the right-wing faction. Continue Reading »

Contrary to Netanyahu’s wishes, Likud seeks to split with Yisrael Beytenu

 

Likud’s central c’tee expected to pass proposals allowing Jewish prayer on the Temple Mount and initiating annexation of Judea & Samaria.

 

The Likud’s central committee will likely vote at next Wednesday’s party convention to split off from Yisrael Beytenu, the convention’s chairman, Deputy Defense Minister Danny Danon said Wednesday.

Liberman and Netanyahu at Likud Beytenu faction meeting, Feb 5 2013 - Photo: Marc Israel Sellem/The Jerusalem Post

Liberman and Netanyahu at Likud Beytenu faction meeting, Feb 5 2013 – Photo: Marc Israel Sellem/The Jerusalem Post

Yisrael Beytenu decided last month to temporarily maintain its partnership with Likud. Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu also wants to keep the partnership, and his associates have hinted that he could ignore a decision by the central committee if it decides otherwise.

Continue Reading »

Supreme Court Judge Strikes Down Likud Ad for Offending Muslims

Likud political ad promising to end noisy Muslim call to prayer in early morning is nixed by Supreme Court Justice Salim Joubran for its offensive content.

By Maayana Miskin

 

A Likud ad promising to end loud Muslim prayers in the early morning hours has been nixed by Supreme Court Justice Salim Joubran, who heads the Central Elections Committee, Maariv/nrg reports.

The ad reads, “Silencing the muezzin in Yafo? Only the Likud can.” The muezzin is the prayer leader who broadcast the Muslim call to prayer over a loudspeaker five times a day.

Member of Knesset Omer Bar-Lev of the Labor party complained to the Elections Committee about the ad. Continue Reading »

Shas & Likud members go to Ramallah

Israeli activists visited Ramallah & met with senior PA officials to hear history of negotiations and exchange political positions & arguments.

On the menu: meetings, kosher meals, &

photo

 courtesies

for social networks.

By Elior Levy

RAMALLAH – Dozens of activists and members of the Likud and Shas parties descended Sunday morning from a bus parked near the Mukata in Ramallah, on their way to a meeting with senior Palestinian officials organized by the Geneva Initiative.

The Israelis were ushered into the building’s conference room, where they were greeted by the Secretary General of the PLO Executive Committee, Yasser Abd Rabbo, and Fatah officials Nabil Shaath and Muhammed Madani. Continue Reading »

Likud seeks to legislate Judea & Samaria’s legal status into Israeli law

 

A draft bill aiming to define the Land of Israel as the homeland of the Jewish people is to be presented by Coalition Chairman Yariv Levin. The bill will also seeks to downgrade official status of Arabic as an official language of Israel.

Opposition (Labor) MK Braverman: “This is a disaster.”

By Israel Hayom Staff

 

After an effort to legally define Israel’s Jewish character in legislation sparked much controversy, Likud has now come up with yet another controversial proposition: Anchor the legal status of Judea and Samaria in a basic law — the Israeli precursor to a constitution, Army Radio reported Monday.

Continue Reading »

Likud members threaten ‘uprising’ over Netanyahu’s new gov’t coalition plans

Likud official: Netanyahu doesn’t want a liberal Likud, but a Lieberman-style Likud. There’s also bitterness over Rivlin’s expected dismissal, along with a lack of ethnic diversity.

Watch: The PM address his last Cabinet Meeting of the gov’t

 

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will likely encounter harsh opposition within his Likud party if high-ranking ministers and Knesset members soon find themselves without a job.

RivlinParty officials on Sunday threatened an “intifada”, or uprising, over what they call “Netanyahu’s failure to give out positions” to members of Likud and other formerly close coalition partners.

The first conflict involves Netanyahu’s anticipated decision to dismiss Knesset Speaker Reuven Rivlin from his position.

Continue Reading »

New gov’t expected by Monday, marathon coalition talks started

Likud-Yisrael Beiteinu with Habayit Hayehudi & Yesh Atid ironing out the the final details that will determine the nature of the new gov’t.

 

Likud-Yisrael Beiteinu negotiation teams are holding marathon talks Saturday night with representatives of Yesh Atid and Habayit Hayehudi in a last push to complete the coalition negotiations.

new gov't

Yesh Atid and Habayit Hayehudi representatives arrived at the meeting to hash out the allocation of ministerial portfolios, drafting a law that would lead to a more equal ‘sharing of the burden’ of military service and the labor market on the part of ultra-Orthodox Israelis, as well as, defining the new government’s guidelines. Continue Reading »

Likud-Yisrael Beiteinu plans to draft 60% of Haredim up to age 24

Likud-Yisrael Beiteinu proposal submitted to  Habayit Hayehudi & Yesh Atid as part of coalition negotiations.

Prof. Eugene Kandel on Saturday publicly presented the main points of his proposal for distributing the burden of military service more equally. The proposal was submitted last week to Yesh Atid and Habayit Hayehudi by Likud-Yisrael Beiteinu during the latter’s coalition negotiations with the two parties.

Ilan Assayag

Eugene Kandel – Photo by Ilan Assayag

The program calls for drafting more than 60 percent of ultra-Orthodox men up to the age of 24, while offering government incentives to these conscripts and the yeshivas from which they they were drafted. Continue Reading »