Vote-buying scandals cloud coalition talks
Israel has become gripped by two new political scandals in recent days.
Labour’s leader Shelly Yachimovich has accused her predecessor Amir Peretz of buying votes in the party’s pre-election primaries, which placed him second on the party list. He subsequently defected to Tzipi Livni’s Hatnuah Party, and serves in Knesset for this faction.
In Israel, politicians compete hard to win top spots in their party primaries, and rumours abound of vote “contractors” who secure support for a particular candidate’s campaign in return for money or favours.
Labour released a statement saying that it is “disgusted” by the alleged action. But a spokeswoman for Peretz told The AJN that he is known for his “integrity” and never paid for votes.
Meanwhile, an MK for Jewish Home is under police investigation, also for allegedly buying votes in is party’s primary. It has emerged that faction leader Naftali Bennett hired a private detective to track his party colleague Nissan Slomiansky, leading to the police probe. Slomiansky denies the allegations.
As the public focused on these two scandals in recent days, interest peaked in the ongoing proceedings of another scandal. The prosecution’s star witness in its case against former prime minister Ehud Olmert has died. The witness, who is not being named beyond the initials SD, was believed to be key to the state prosecution’s efforts to prove allegations that back in the 1990s Olmert, then mayor of Jerusalem, received bribes to advance a Jerusalem real-estate project.
Apart from scandals, Israeli politics this week has been focused on attempts by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to build a coalition. On Saturday night, he passed the initial four-week period for completing the task, and asked President Shimon Peres for a two-week extension, which was granted.
As of press time, Netanyahu’s Likud-Beitenu faction appeared to be nearing a deal with the centrist Yesh Atid party and the religious-Zionist Jewish Home party. The Charedi parties looked set to be left out in the cold, and head to opposition. The sticking point with Likud-Beitenu’s likely deal appeared to be ministerial appointments, with Yesh Atid determined to control the Foreign Ministry, which Likud-Beitenu wants to keep for itself.
Netanyahu was optimistic that he would secure a majority when he asked for the extension. “During the past four weeks I have asked to form the widest possible coalition for the State of Israel,” he said. “We have made significant progress in discussions on foreign affairs, economic issues and the sharing of the national burden. I think that we are close to an understanding on all these issues.”
If Netanyahu has not succeeded by Saturday week, Peres can ask another party leader to assemble a coalition.
NATHAN JEFFAY
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