World News | Netanyahu's Opponents Race Deadline on Unity Government

Jerusalem, Jun 2 (AP) Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's opponents raced the clock to finalize a coalition government that would end his 12-year rule ahead of a deadline at midnight on Wednesday.

Centrist Yair Lapid and ultranationalist Naftali Bennett have joined forces and agreed to rotate the premiership between them, with Bennett going first. But they were still working to cobble together a ruling coalition that would include parties from across the political spectrum.

Israeli media reported there were some lingering disagreements over lower-level political appointments.

According to the reports, Ayelet Shaked, Bennett's deputy, was demanding a place on a committee that chooses the nation's judges.

But Shaked, a prominent voice in Israel's hard-line right wing, has expressed misgivings about joining forces with the dovish members of the emerging coalition.

Both Shaked and Bennett have come under heavy pressure from Netanyahu and the country's right wing base not to join his opponents. The Knesset, or parliament, has assigned additional security guards to both in recent days because of death threats and online incitement.

By early Wednesday evening, just six hours before the deadline at midnight (2100 GMT), there was still no sign of progress.

Lapid must inform Israel's largely ceremonial president, Reuven Rivlin, by midnight that he has formed a majority coalition of at least 61 seats in the Knesset. The assembly would then have a week to hold a vote of confidence.

If Lapid misses the deadline, the country will almost certainly have a fifth election in just over two years, and Netanyahu would have yet another chance to hold onto his position as he stands trial for corruption.

Netanyahu's Likud won the most seats in the March 23 election, but he was unable to form a majority with his traditional religious and nationalist allies.

Crucially, a far-right party allied with Netanyahu refused to join forces with a small Arab party that emerged as one of the kingmakers in the race.

Netanyahu had hoped to extend his long rule and battle the corruption charges from the prime minister's office. He has emerged as a deeply polarizing force in recent years, leaving Israel in a prolonged state of political limbo through a series of inconclusive elections.

An emergency government formed last year between Netanyahu and former military chief Benny Gantz to battle the coronavirus pandemic quickly became mired in political bickering and collapsed in December. That government remains in place as caretaker.

Amid the political deadlock, parliament on Wednesday elected Isaac Herzog, a veteran politician and the scion of a prominent Israeli family, as the country's next president.

The presidency is a largely ceremonial role that is meant to serve as the nation's moral compass and promote unity.

The president also has the authority to grant pardons — making Herzog a potentially key player if Netanyahu, who is on trial for multiple corruption charges, is eventually convicted. (AP)

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)