The National Religious Party decided Wednesday night to enter negotiations with Likud to join a new coalition government.
The decision, which was not a surprise, considerably improved Yitzhak Shamir’s chances of wrapping up a Likud-led coalition with the religious and right-wing parties by the end of next week.
Until now, NRP has insisted on the broadest possible government or new elections.
The change of mind by the party’s 31-member Executive reflected sharp divisions between hard-liners, who prefer a narrow, right-wing regime led by Likud, and moderates, who still hope Likud and Labor will join forces in a new unity government.
NRP veteran Zevulun Hammer, speaking for the moderate wing, said, "We will try sincerely to convince both big parties" to get together, but "will seriously consider" joining a narrow Likud government if that fails.
He observed that the NRP’s five Knesset votes could not prevent Likud from forming a narrow regime.
Shamir, who was given 21 days by President Chaim Herzog last Friday to try to form a government, rejected a unity coalition with Labor at the outset.
He said, however, that once he has a government in place, Labor could join as a junior partner.
Shamir, who met with local Arab authorities in Nazareth on Wednesday, said he was devoting himself entirely to forming a new government of the right-wing and religious parties.
"In the fullness of time," it might become a unity government, because "I have always been a believer in that method," he said. But he said that was not his initial aim.
He also remarked that the previous government did, in fact, accept in principle U.S. Secretary of State James Baker’s five-point peace plan for Israeli-Palestinian talks, though subject to certain "assumptions" laid down by Likud.
Shamir and the Likud negotiating teams had what were described as "friendly" talks Wednesday with three potential coalition partners on the political right: Tehiya, Tsomet and Moledet. The three parties said they discussed Cabinet portfolios, but refused to go into details.
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