“It’s an emergency. We have to reach an agreement,” said the head of state at the airport
Isaac Herzog met with Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday night to reach a last-minute compromise on the adequacy clause bill that is due to pass second and third readings in Parliament on Monday. The President went to Sheba Hospital in Te Hashomer, where the Prime Minister is hospitalized as soon as his plane returning from the United States landed. “It’s an emergency. We have to reach an agreement,” said the head of state at the airport. Later that evening, the President also met with two opposition leaders, Yair Lapid and Benny Gantz.
As part of these talks, Isaac Herzog presented a compromise proposal on the adequacy clause and on freezing the other laws.
According to sources familiar with the negotiations, the compromise proposal on the adequacy clause would have been considered acceptable by the opposition, but the negotiations would face the duration of the law’s freeze. The Likud would refuse to freeze it for more than three months, while Yair Lapid would call for a longer freeze of 15 months.
In the evening, Yair Lapid also met with Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar for a briefing on internal and external threats to the country. “I received an update from him on the security situation and the threats in different areas. We discussed internal and external threats and expressed my concern about national resilience. We have a shared responsibility to maintain the security of the country and the unity of the people.”
For his part, Benny Gantz spoke to Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi. “The security situation is of great concern and requires attention and strategic decisions regarding security in various areas of action,” said Benny Gantz, himself a former chief of staff.
The talks came as a compromise proposal by the Histadrut, Israel’s powerful labor union, was rejected by the Likud earlier in the day, raising the risk of a major strike in the country. Just before he went to the hospital to meet the Prime Minister, the President also spoke briefly to Arnon Bar-David, the union leader, who informed him of his unsuccessful proposals to the majority and opposition to reach an agreement. In the evening, the economic forum, which includes the country’s 150 largest companies, announced a strike starting Monday “to end unilateral legislation and start negotiations”.
Yair Lapid responded to the Likud’s rejection of the Histadrut’s proposed compromise by tweeting: “Once again a compromise and broad agreement is offered and once again the opposition is willing to discuss it, but the coalition immediately and categorically rejects it. It’s unclear who said “no” on your behalf, but it’s clearer than ever that the extremists in the government have decided to push the State of Israel into the abyss.”
For his part, National Union leader Benny Gantz addressed the prime minister directly, promising: “If we agree on a draft treaty, we will apply it to the next Knesset.”
“Netanyahu, this is my appeal to you on the verge of the abyss. The State of Israel is about to cross the red line. Look me in the eye and look all the citizens of Israel in the eye: the armored fighters, Golani and the pilots, the worried mother of Dimona, the old man who fought in the Palmach of the northern kibbutzim, the student from Tel Aviv… Is it really worth canceling our joint identity card under pressure from extremists?” he continued.
“I know it’s politically difficult. But you are the Prime Minister – and the responsibility rests on your shoulders. Return to the President’s house to agree on a probable deal that won’t harm democracy and to continue pushing for a judicial legislation through compromise. Now is not the time to argue about who is right – this is the time to be smart and do the right thing. This is not surrender – this is a national responsibility,” he concluded.
These latest negotiations are taking place against the background of large-scale demonstrations for and against reforms. As opponents of the bill demonstrate in front of Parliament in Jerusalem, his supporters gather on Tel Aviv’s Kaplan Boulevard tonight. A symbolic demonstration, despite the fact that this place has been the epicenter of protests against the reform for 29 weeks.