Israeli parties push forward to form anti-Netanyahu coalition

Israeli politicians battling to unseat veteran Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu are racing against the clock on the final day of talks to build a cabinet coalition comprised of bitter ideological rivals.

They have until a minute before midnight (20:59 GMT) on Wednesday to cobble together an administration that would end 12 years of rule by Israel’s longest-serving prime minister.

The high-stakes push is led by former TV presenter Yair Lapid, a secular centrist, who on Sunday won the crucial support of right-wing religious nationalist Naftali Bennett, a tech multi-millionaire.
 

Lapid is planning to announce by 11:00am (08:00 GMT) on Wednesday that he can form a government, Israeli Channel 12 news reported late on Tuesday.

The Times of Israel reported Lapid’s goal is to have the Knesset speaker schedule a vote to swear in the new coalition on June 9.

To reach a 61-seat majority in the 120-seat Knesset, Lapid and Bennett’s unlikely alliance would also have to include other left- and right-wing parties – and would probably need the support of parties representing Arab Israelis.

That would result in a government riven by deep ideological differences on flashpoint issues such as illegal Zionist settlements in the Israeli-occupied West Bank and the role of religion in politics.

Lapid, leader of the Yesh Atid party, was tasked with forming a government by President Reuven Rivlin after Netanyahu again failed to win a majority following Israel’s fourth inconclusive election in less than two years.

Lapid has reportedly agreed to allow Bennett, who heads the Yamina party, to serve first as a rotating prime minister in a power-sharing agreement, before taking over halfway through their term.

On Wednesday, the Knesset will also choose the Israel's next presiden.