Will Iran deal pave way for unity government? - National - Israel News | Haaretz
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Opposition MK Eitan Cabel’s statement of support of the prime minister’s stance on Iran raises suspicions in the Zionist Union that the stage is being set for the party to join the coalition.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is likely to try to get the Zionist Union to join his coalition within the next few weeks, but the chances of this actually happening are slim, say party sources.
“Netanyahu is stressed out; he is worried about the response from the United States and the European Union if he establishes a narrow right-wing government, which is why there’s a good chance he will turn to us in the coming weeks,” one party source said.
But another source said that the struggle against a nuclear Iran could be the key common ground for the establishment of a unity government with Netanyahu. “The odds of our establishing a coalition with Netanyahu are low,” the source said. “But if there is a sincere desire on both sides to establish a joint government, the struggle against the nuclear agreement and the need to repair Israel’s ties with the United States could make it easier for [co-party leader Isaac] Herzog to explain to his voters the problematic step of joining Netanyahu.”
Because of the speculation regarding contacts with Likud, Zionist Union is very suspicious of any expression of support for Netanyahu from within its ranks. Thus some in the party wondered whether a Facebook post Sunday by faction chairman Eitan Cabel, in which he expressed support for Netanyahu’s stance on the nuclear deal reached with Iran, was meant to facilitate the party’s entrance into the coalition.
Cabel vehemently denied this, noting that he had expressed support for the premier solely with regard to the deal with Iran announced late last week following intensive negotiations in Lausanne, Switzerland. “On this issue only, I stand behind Benjamin Netanyahu,” Cabel wrote on his Facebook page.
“With all the criticism of the way he handled the campaign against the agreement-in-progress, the bottom line is that his struggle is correct.”
Cabel added that he refused to join “the chorus of applause for the agreement with Iran. The truth is, it gives me sleepless nights. President Obama promised yesterday that ‘if the Iranians cheat we will know,’ but isn’t that exactly what the Americans promised after the agreement with North Korea?” This is not a matter of left or right, Cabel added.
“When a mad, religious regime, with a proven record of terror and deception, receives permission to get within touching distance of a nuclear bomb, I am very worried. And when those who are meant to ensure that the agreement isn’t broken have a proven record of contempt for the red lines that they themselves set, I’m doubly worried,” Cabel wrote.
In contrast to Netanyahu’s hard line on the accord with Iran, Zionist Union leaders Isaac Herzog and Tzipi Livni have refused to criticize the United States and have called for an improvement of mutual ties following the signing of the framework agreement. “We need to work closely with the powers, and in particular with the United States, over the coming days in order to roll back Iran’s nuclear program and prevent it from getting nuclear weapons,” the two said in a statement published immediately after the framework agreement was announced last week. They added that “it is necessary to rebuild our cooperation with the United States because it is the most important factor in defending the security interests of Israel and the region.”