Significant progress in efforts to form a government:
Prime Minister-designate Benjamin Netanyahu and Religious Zionist Chairman Bezalel Smotrich met late into the night (Tuesday), and at the end of the meeting they issued a joint statement with an update that the negotiations are "on the verge of signing."
"The Likud and religious Zionism made progress tonight in negotiations and reached the threshold of signing and agreements on most issues," the joint statement said.
"The negotiations will continue tomorrow. Contrary to publications, religious Zionism is not opposed to the appointment of a temporary Knesset speaker and tonight it acceded to Prime Minister-designate Netanyahu's request to appoint a temporary Knesset speaker immediately.
The current Speaker of the Knesset Miki Levy. It was agreed to replace him "immediately", photo: Knesset Spokesperson - Noam Moshkovich
As I recall, the two met yesterday as well and Likud reported progress on all issues.
In fact, the only dispute that still remains before the conversation tonight, concerns responsibility for the Civil Administration and the formulation of the settlement and demolition policy.
While Smotrich is interested in responsibility for the administration, Likud feared that this would harm Israel's foreign relations.
In religious Zionism they claimed that the Civil Administration adopts a policy of turning a blind eye to the Palestinian illegal construction, and on the other hand it takes a hard hand against Jewish illegal construction.
Smotrich aims to transfer the responsibility for the administration to his faction, with the aim of "stopping the takeover of areas C and facilitating Jewish construction".
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