The coalition negotiators for the so-called "pro-change" government entered the final stretch on Wednesday morning, but are encountering various stumbling blocks, sources privy to the talks told Israel Hayom on Wednesday.
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Yesh Atid head Yair Lapid, whose mandate from President Reuven Rivlin expires at midnight Thursday, said he hopes to inform the president and Knesset Speaker Yariv Levin that his efforts have been successful by Wednesday afternoon.
The urgency stems not only from the looming deadline but also from the desire by Lapid and Yamina leader Naftali Bennett – who seeks to be named prime minister as part of a power-sharing deal between the two – to see the new government sworn in as early as next Wednesday, thus preventing Levin from pushing the vote to mid-June.
One of the main stumbling blocks in the negotiations is a demand presented by Yamina's Ayelet Shaked, a former justice minister, to serve on the Judicial Nominations Committee – a seat already promised to Labor leader Merav Michaeli.
Yamina has reportedly issued an ultimatum saying that it will torpedo the planned government if Shaked is not given the spot on the committee, Kan 11 News said.
A Yesh Atid official said that matter was in Yamina's hands, as a deal with Labor was already signed.
"Shaked needs to decide if she wants Bennett to be prime minister," he said.
Yamina MK Matan Kahana told Army Radio Wednesday that the party views the spot on the Judicial Nominations Committee as "critical" to its agenda, and "won't budge on the issue."
Meanwhile, New Hope leader Gideon Sa'ar – slated to be named the justice minister in the Bennett-Lapid government - be given the responsibility of formulating state rebuttals to the Supreme Court in all cases related to the Judea and Samaria settlement enterprise.
According to Channel 12 News Yesh Atid officials have also accused New Hope's Ze'ev Elkin of "raising unreasonable demands" in the negotiations.
Also on Tuesday, Ra'am leader Mansour Abbas stated his demands for supporting the coalition, one of which is a commitment that the new government refrain from passing any laws that support the LGBTQ community.
It should be noted that Ra'am does not plan to become part of the government, eyeing instead seats in several key committees.
Lapid and Bennett need Abbas' support to form their government as their proposed coalition would reach only 57 mandates – four shy of the mandatory 61 MK-majority set by law to sustain a government.
Ra'am won four seats in March's election, making its support critical.
Media reports said Tuesday that while Sephardi ultra-Orthodox party Shas and Ashkenazi Haredi party United Torah Judaism are headed to the opposition both have reached out to Bennett and Sa'ar, asking them to "look out" for their interests.
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