This week, the head of the negotiating team of Yisrael Achat,
Professor David Libai met with the Yisrael Ba'Aliyah
delegation, headed by Minister Yuli Edelstein, and stated
that Barak does not intend to freeze the settlements.
At that meeting, Edelstein said that Yisrael Ba'Aliyah
attaches much importance to the fact that the government
which will be established will not yield to extremists from
any direction, and will not take any one-sided steps without
discussing the matter beforehand with those to whom it the
issue at hand pertains.
As examples, Edelstein cited the issue of the conscription of
yeshiva students which, he says, has to be solved by means of
negotiations, and the issue of the freezing of the
settlements, as demanded by Meretz. Libai replied that there
is no intention to freeze them.
Yisrael Ba'Aliyah expects that at the end of the first round
of meetings, the representatives of those parties who express
basic willingness to join the coalition will be invited to a
second meeting, at which the of the allocation of the
portfolios and the various functions will be discussed.
