Jerusalem – Netanyahu Clinches Deal To Form New Israeli Government, Herzog Says New Coalition ‘Prone To Extortion, Bound To Fail’

Jerusalem – Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has completed the formation of a new coalition government, less than an hour before a midnight deadline.

President Reuven Rivlin’s office said Netanyahu called late Wednesday to inform him that the deal was done. An official in Netanyahu’s office also confirmed a deal.

The announcement came after marathon talks with the hard-line “Jewish Home” Party.

The deal will put Netanyahu at the head of a narrow coalition, controlling just 61 seats in the 120-member parliament.

Nearly two months after a convincing election victory, Netanyahu has struggled to put together a coalition after a former ally abandoned him this week.

With barely two hours to spare as a midnight (2100 GMT) deadline mandated by law approached, Netanyahu’s right-wing Likud sealed an agreement with the ultranationalist Jewish Home, which advocates annexation of parts of occupied territory Palestinians seek for a state.

With Jewish Home, the ultra-Orthodox United Torah Judaism and Shas parties and Kulanu, a centrist faction, the Likud-led government will control 61 of parliament’s 120 seats.

Such a narrow majority will make Netanyahu vulnerable to policy demands from even his most junior coalition partners, continuing a long tradition of unstable politics.

Jewish Home seems certain to push for the expansion of Jewish settlement in occupied territory, a policy that could deepen Israel’s rift over the issue with its main ally, the United States, and the European Union.

Zionist Union chief Isaac Herzog took to Twitter late Wednesday to pan the new, narrow right-wing coalition that is set to take power in Jerusalem.

“This government is devoid of responsibility, stability, and an ability to govern,” tweeted Herzog, who has been conspicuously silent in recent weeks, fueling speculation that he had not ruled out joining Netanyahu in a unity government.

“This government is one of national failure,” Herzog tweeted. “A government that is susceptible to extortion is a narrow, weak government that won’t advance a thing and will be quickly replaced by an alternative that represents hope and responsibility.”