Yitzhak Shamir’s chances of forming a narrow government dominated by the conservative Likud bloc and its right-wing allies appeared to improve this week.
Shamir, who has been caretaker prime minister since the national unity government collapsed March 15, exuded confidence that he would be able to wrap up a new coalition swiftly, possibly by the end of next week.
Shamir received his mandate to form a government from President Chaim Herzog last Friday, after Labor Party leader Shimon Peres, who had tried for 36 days, conceded failure.
Political pundits are already speculating over the composition of Shamir’s Cabinet.
They predict David Levy will be the next foreign minister, replacing Moshe Arens, who will become defense minister.
Ariel Sharon is reportedly being considered for minister of construction and housing, the portfolio held by Levy in the outgoing government. Or he might be designated minister of industry and trade, the portfolio he held before he quit the government in February.
Yitzhak Moda’i, who defected from Likud to set up a separate Knesset faction, will be back in the fold as finance minister. He had been minister of economics and planning in the previous government.
With Levy, Sharon and Moda’i, Shamir will again have in his Cabinet the three outspoken hard-liners who were the most scathing critics of his peace diplomacy.
MOLEDET LEADER SEEKING POLICE POST
Sharon has the potential to cause particular trouble, since he openly covets the defense portfolio. Some observers say he will not accept anything less, even if offered mollification with the rank of deputy premier.
According to political observers, Shamir would very much like to include some of the brightest of Likud’s younger generation in his Cabinet. But his commitments leave little room.
The prime minister has himself mentioned Benny Begin, son of former Prime Minister Menachem Begin, and Binyamin Netanyahu, who has been deputy foreign minister. Both have been in the Knesset since 1988 and are no longer neophytes.
Also mentioned are Ronni Milo, Ehud Olmert, Dan Meridor and David Magen, who currently are members of the caretaker Cabinet, and two other young hopefuls, Eliahu Ben-Elissar and Yehoshua Matza.
But Shamir must reserve Cabinet seats for his probable coalition partners, which include the right-wing Tehiya, Tsomet and Moledet parties.
The Interior Ministry and two other portfolios are expected to go to the ultra-Orthodox Shas and Degel HaTorah parties.
Rafael Eitan of Tsomet is expected to be named minister of agriculture.
Rehavam Ze’evi of Moledet, a party that advocates the deportation of all Palestinians as part of a negotiated peace settlement, is known to want the Police Ministry. He is considered unlikely to get it, but probably will sit in the next Cabinet, observers say.
Likud began formal talks with its various potential partners Tuesday. It believes it has lined up 61 votes, just enough to break the Knesset deadlock. It may have 62 if it succeeds in getting Laborite Efraim Gur to defect.
That is still a parlously narrow margin. Likud would be more comfortable with a 65-vote parliamentary majority.
To achieve that, it must overcome the reluctance of the National Religious Party to support anything but a unity government, and it must pry the ultra-Orthodox Agudat Yisrael party loose from its coalition agreement with Labor.
Pundits believe Shamir can succeed in both those endeavors.
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