Netanyahu from Israel leads an active political detfle
2022.12.07 03:56
Netanyahu from Israel leads an active political detfle
Budrigannews.com – After an ultra-Orthodox Jewish party joined the coalition on Wednesday, Israeli Prime Minister-designate Benjamin Netanyahu still lacked one partner to secure a parliamentary majority. The deadline for forming a government was rapidly approaching.
Netanyahu was promised control of 53 of the 120 seats in the Knesset with his conservative Likud party as part of the deal with United Torah Judaism (UTJ), which was announced late on Tuesday. That left Shas, a super Standard party with 11 seats, as Likud’s last probably partner.
Netanyahu had 28 days to present a coalition after winning a Nov. 1 election. Analysts anticipated he would do as such very soon, given areas of strength for the of strict patriot parties. However, negotiations have taken a long time.
Israel’s long-running talks with the Palestinians and tense ties between its majority Jews and 21% Arab citizens have been stoked by the inclusion of far-rightists in the new government.
While Netanyahu has stated that he will serve all Israelis, he has offered no strategy for reviving negotiations with Palestinians.
In a statement about the Likud deal, UTJ said that talks needed to be extended beyond Sunday’s deadline for a coalition agreement, which it agreed to even though some details were still pending.
The mandate can be extended for 14 days by President Isaac Herzog.
The Shas leader Arieh Deri, a candidate for finance minister, has been found guilty of tax evasion, which has hampered the coalition talks. Shas has proposed legislation that would allow Deri, who was released from prison as part of a plea bargain, to serve in the cabinet.
Netanyahu has not yet requested a delay in the start of the coalition talks. However, the centrist opposition has said that he intends to use any extra time he gets to get the Deri-related bill through parliament before his government takes office.
On Twitter, the incoming Justice Minister Gideon Saar stated that any request for additional time would be nothing more than a “ruse (to enable) the passing of individualized and problematic laws, in accordance with the demands of (coalition) partners, before the government is set up.”
A party that was a part of the previous coalition and is supported by Arab Israelis, United Arab List (UAL), suggested that it might join Netanyahu.
“I’m not precluding this,” UAL pioneer Mansour Abbas told 103 FM radio, saying he watched for any updates on the new government’s strategies.
