# Israeli Dopers: Help us understand what's happening in coalition talks! **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [March 13, 2009, 10:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/israeli-dopers-help-us-understand-whats-happening-in-coalition-talks/489373 "2009-03-13T22:23:10Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 1\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![DSeid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dseid/32/20194_2.png) [@DSeid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSeid)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2009, 10:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/israeli-dopers-help-us-understand-whats-happening-in-coalition-talks/489373/1 "2009-03-13T22:23:10Z")
Well, anyone else with some real educated opinions too, I guess. Here is how I understand it: Bibi is forming the government but all of his potential partners are driving some damn hard bargains. The ultra-religious want housing and won’t cave much in giving into Lieberman’s demands for secular reforms. And they’d bolt if Bibi actually tries to maneuver at all from the hard line in talks with the Palestinians (which he likely expects he will eventually do under cover of US pressure). Lieberman demands the foreign ministry and wanted his man at Justice. He’ll accept Neeman instead of Friedmann but he’ll wants more elsewhere in return for that. Which doesn’t make some of Bibi’s own Likud all that happy. Holding together his “natural partners” is seeming a more and more unnatural act every day. So _now_ he back to trying to get [Kadima](http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1070948.html) in the fold instead? Hoo ha. > [@](#): > > Officials from both Likud and Kadima have held back-channel discussions within the last 24 hours re-examining the possibility of joining forces in running the next coalition. > > In their talks with the Likud, senior figures in Kadima have once again broached the idea of a rotational government whereby Benjamin Netanyahu and Tzipi Livni would alternate the premiership. > > Israel Radio reported on Friday that Kadima is open to an arrangement whereby Netanyahu and Livni agree to an “unequal” rotation. Such a scenario would have Netanyahu occupying the prime minister’s chair for a longer period of time than Livni. How _is_ this going to all shake out? And when? Where is the smart money riding?