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Tel Aviv (dpa) – Opponents of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu are expected to form a coalition in order to establish a new government ahead of a deadline which would otherwise mean fresh elections.<\/p>\nTel Aviv (dpa) – Opponents of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu are expected to form a coalition in order to establish a new government ahead of a deadline which would otherwise mean fresh elections.<\/p>\n
Israel has held four elections in the past two years but all have failed to produce a clear majority.<\/p>\n
Naftali Bennett of the pro-settler Yamina party has decided to opt for an alliance with opposition leader Jair Lapid of Yesh Atid (which translates as \u00abthere is a future\u00bb), Israeli radio reported on Sunday. An official announcement is expected soon.<\/p>\n
Bennett was reportedly planning to inform party members on Sunday.<\/p>\n
He agreed with Lapid that the two would share the office of prime minister, with Bennett initially to take the role for two years, and then to be replaced by Lapid.<\/p>\n
Lapid’s centrist party came in second in the elections on March 23, behind Netanyahu’s right-wing Likud.<\/p>\n
After the March elections, Netanyahu had failed to form a government, so President Reuven Rivlin appointed Lapid to do so.<\/p>\n
Lapid’s pro-reform party planned to continue coalition talks Sunday with Gideon Saar’s right-leaning New Hope. It has already reached agreements with the left-liberal Meretz Party, the Labour Party and former foreign minister Avigdor Lieberman’s nationalist Yisrael Beitenu party.<\/p>\n
Lapid is trying to ensure the support of several small parties that are far apart on the political spectrum, in order to form a minority government that would be acceptable to Arab deputies.<\/p>\n
They are united above all by their rejection of Netanyahu, who is currently being tried for corruption.<\/p>\n
However, the smaller parties have widely diverging political goals.<\/p>\n
Lapid’s mandate to form a government runs out on Wednesday at midnight.<\/p>\n
After officially announcing the alliance, Lapid would next have to inform Rivlin. He would then have seven days to swear in the government in parliament, requiring a simple majority of the 120 lawmakers in the Knesset.<\/p>\n
If he succeeds, it would bring an end to the era of Netanyahu, in office since 2009. He was also prime minister from 1996 to 1999.<\/p>\n
However, Netanyahu, Israel’s longest-serving leader, fought back on Sunday, offering Bennett and Saar a coalition where the three would each have a period holding the office of prime minister.<\/p>\n
Netanyahu spoke of a \u00abfateful moment for the security, character and future of the state of Israel,\u00bb in a video posted on Twitter.<\/p>\n
He urged Bennett and Saar to join him in \u00abpreventing a dangerous leftist government.\u00bb<\/p>\n
Saar, who would be the first to become head of government, rejected the proposal as \u00abspin.\u00bb<\/p>\n
The coalition agreements would require a difficult balancing act on issues such as the two-state solution with Palestinians, political analyst Tal Schneider told journalists in a telephone conversation Sunday.<\/p>\n
She said she saw Netanyahu as an active opposition leader once he is replaced.<\/p>\n
\u00abHe probably thinks this government will collapse very quickly,\u00bb Schneider said, adding that if that should come to pass, Netanyahu would count on winning a new election.<\/p>\n
\u00abHe’s probably planning to hold a fifth election fairly soon,\u00bb she said.<\/p>\n
By Sara Lemel, dpa<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Tel Aviv (dpa) – Opponents of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu are expected to form a coalition in order to establish a new government ahead of a deadline which would otherwise mean fresh elections. Israel has held four elections in the past two years but all have failed to produce a clear majority. Naftali Bennett<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":155341,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[343],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-155340","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-actualidad"},"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t