Representatives of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's Likud party were set to resume negotiations with potential coalition partners on Sunday. The pace of the talks is expected to quicken in the coming days and it is believed Netanyahu will decide by the end of the week on how the ministerial portfolios will be distributed. In the next few days, Likud negotiators will meet with their counterparts from United Torah Judaism, Habayit Hayehudi and Yisrael Beytenu. The Likud team will try to convince Habayit Hayehudi leader Naftali Bennett to relinquish his demand for the foreign affairs portfolio in exchange for a number of other portfolios. Yakov Litzman, one of United Torah Judaism's leaders who was scheduled to meet with Likud negotiators on Sunday, said, "Our demands regarding enlistment and yeshivas are more or less known. Now we are waiting for answers from Likud. We come in good faith." However, Litzman added it was unlikely United Torah Judaism would sign a coalition deal on Sunday. Shas leader Aryeh Deri, who is expected to receive the interior portfolio, said Saturday night at a Mimouna celebration at his home, "As far as we're concerned, we can seal a government now, but it's up to others, and I hope everyone knows their place. Netanyahu could also go for a unity government. This depends on the conduct [of potential coalition partners]." At a Mimouna celebration in Or Akiva on Saturday night, Netanyahu said, "The dust of the elections has settled. We must strengthen unity among the citizens and people of Israel, and this we will do." Netanyahu went on to say, "We are committed to continuing the impressive accelerated economic development of the State of Israel. However, this must be accompanied by lowering the cost of living, especially housing prices. To this end, we must increase supply; we must increase supply by many ways, and thus we will do. We promised to do this and this will be the first mission of the government that -- with God's help -- I will quickly form."
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PM expected to decide on ministerial portfolios this week
With Passover complete, pace of coalition talks will likely quicken in the coming days • Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at Mimouna celebration: Dust of the elections has settled, we must strengthen unity among the citizens and people of Israel.