Livni, Barak advisers could be big winners in coalition talks
By Guy Leshem Haaeretz Last update - 02:51 06/10/2008
www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1026614.html

Do the people involved in the Kadima-Labor coalition talks have a conflict
of interest? The question arises from the composition of the negotiating
teams that the two parties set up a few days ago. Kadima chairwoman Tzipi
Livni is being represented in the talks by attorneys Yoram Raved and Israel
Maimon, while Labor chair Ehud Barak is being represented by former MK Effi
Oshaya and attorney Alon Gellert. All four are confidants of their
respective political patrons and have been given considerable discretion in
the negotiations. But it turns out that all four also have private business
interests that could be furthered by the decisions made in these talks.

Oshaya, in addition to his membership on Labor's central committee, is
chairman of the board of the party's educational institute, Beit Berl, and
of its Katznelson Foundation, which together control hundreds of dunams of
expensive land near Kfar Sava. In addition, he is the co-CEO of Policy, a
lobbying firm that represents public and private bodies before Knesset
committees and government ministries.

While Oshaya himself does not go to the Knesset as a lobbyist, his employees
represent major companies and organizations such as Tnuva, Strauss-Elite,
the Association of Banks, the Association of Insurance Companies, the
Central Bottling Company, the Channel 2 television franchisees, Bank
Hapoalim and others. All are bodies for whom the right decision by a given
Knesset committee or ministry can be worth millions.

Gellert, who served as legal advisor in the Prime Minister's Office under
both Barak and Ariel Sharon, is now a partner in the country's
second-largest law firm, which represents dozens of Israel's largest
companies.

Raved, a former senior member of the "ranch forum" that advised Sharon when
he was premier, is also a senior partner in a major law firm. The firm's
clients include such leading businessmen as Moti Zisser, Dori and Gadi
Dankner, the Gindi family and real estate magnate Roni Yitzhaki, as well as
major companies such as Bank Hapoalim and the Adler-Chomsky public relations
agency.

In an interview with TheMarker two months ago, Raved said that he never uses
his political ties to benefit his clients, and that his involvement in
politics stemmed purely from "altruistic motives." Nevertheless, he
admitted, "we aren't naive, and we understand that because we were
identified as a firm with ties to Sharon, we had a certain advantage."

Maimon, who served as cabinet secretary until two years ago, set up his own
law firm after leaving that post. He has refused to release a list of his
firm's clients, but has acknowledged serving on Channel 10's legal team. The
channel is currently engaged in a major campaign to get the government to
extend its franchise, a decision that will be made by the Communications
Ministry, the Second Channel Authority, the Finance Ministry and the Knesset
Economics Committee - all bodies that will be influenced by the composition
of Livni's coalition.