Israeli Prime Minister-designate Benjamin Netanyahu asked President Isaac Herzog to extend the deadline for authorizing the formation of the government for an additional two weeks, which will give him more time to form a ruling coalition, as he looks forward to completing talks with religious and right-wing parties, which will return him to power after 18 months in opposition ranks.

The current legal deadline expires next Sunday, as Netanyahu's Likud party indicated that the request came due to the delay in agreeing on the roles of its partners in the new ruling coalition.

The Israeli president had given Netanyahu 28 days to form a government after the Likud and its potential partners from the religious and far-right parties topped the November 1 elections.

Herzog has the right to refuse if Netanyahu does not prove that he is making progress in the negotiations to form the government, and then assign a deputy from another party to form the government within a period not exceeding 28 days.

Netanyahu's Likud party won most of the votes in the general elections held last November, the fifth since 2019, but was unable to achieve a wide majority in the Israeli Knesset that would allow him to form a government on his own.

Netanyahu needs to mobilize the support of no less than 61 out of 120 deputies to pass his government in the Knesset, amid warnings inside and outside Israel of extreme right-wing tendencies for the prospective government, especially towards the Palestinian people in the occupied territories.


crystallize an agreement

Netanyahu is trying to hammer out an agreement to form a coalition with potential allies of the far-right and religious parties before the deadline expires next Sunday.

Earlier Thursday, official Israeli sources announced that Netanyahu had reached an agreement with the religious right-wing "Shas" party to join the next government.

The Israeli Broadcasting Corporation (official) stated that "the agreement provides for the assignment of the ministries of interior and health to Aryeh Deri, head of Shas, during the first half of the term of the new government, provided that he assumes the Ministry of Finance in the second half."

Prior to that, the Likud reached an agreement with the hard-right "religious Zionist" party, under which its leader, Bezalel Smotrich, would assume the Ministry of Finance for a period of two years.

The broadcaster added that the agreement "also requires Shas to assume the portfolios of religious services, welfare and social security."

The Likud party has already reached coalition agreements with the parties of "religious Zionism", "Jewish Power" and "Noam", while it is still negotiating with the religious right-wing "United Torah Judaism" party, as negotiations with it face difficulties due to the existence of contentious issues, according to the Commission. Israeli broadcast.


tentative agreement

The Likud reached an agreement in principle with "United Torah Judaism" on the distribution of ministerial portfolios, but it is still necessary to agree on legislation demanded by the religious party.

Netanyahu is trying to reach understandings with the leaders of his Likud party about distributing ministerial portfolios to them, and the Israeli Broadcasting Authority said, "The Likud is witnessing some kind of internal tension due to differences over the distribution of ministerial positions."

Among the most prominent portfolios that the Likud will receive are defense, foreign affairs, justice and infrastructure.

And next Monday, the Israeli Knesset will convene to elect a new speaker for it, amid estimates that the Likud leader, David Amsalem, will be elected to this position.