Likud chairman Binyamin Netanyahu has ended his quest to bring Labor into the next government and will expedite his efforts to form a coalition of 61 MKs from the Likud, Israel Beiteinu, Shas, United Torah Judaism and Habayit Hayehudi, sources close to Netanyahu said Saturday night.
The prime minister-designate will complete the process of allocating portfolios to his coalition partners this week and then distribute the remaining ministries inside his own party, with a goal of presenting his government to President Shimon Peres next Monday.
Between now and then, Netanyahu will try to appease his Likud rival, MK Silvan Shalom, who is angry at him for giving the Foreign Affairs portfolio that he sought to Israel Beiteinu leader Avigdor Lieberman.
Close associates of Netanyahu who spoke to him personally confirmed a report on Friday by Ma'ariv columnist Shalom Yerushalmi that in the Likud leader's meeting with Lieberman at the Knesset on Thursday night, he agreed to his demands to give Lieberman the Foreign Ministry and allow Justice Minister Daniel Friedmann to keep his job.
"Lieberman issued a complete ultimatum, and as the leader of our largest coalition partner, we have no choice but to listen to him," a Netanyahu associate said. "He wasn't even willing to talk about the possibility of not receiving the Foreign Ministry and the Justice portfolio."
Netanyahu's associates admitted that giving the Justice Ministry to Friedmann, who is despised by Labor, constituted giving up on Labor joining the coalition.
But they said it was Labor that had ruled out joining and the Likud was not willing to give Barak the Defense portfolio if he came alone as a professional appointment without his party.
