Benjamin Netanyahu, locked in down-to-the-wire coalition talks, faces a midnight deadline to form a government or risk being denied a fourth term as Israel’s prime minister.
Nearly two months after a convincing election victory, Netanyahu is struggling to build a solid parliamentary majority, with a former ally abandoning him this week.
The key to his political future now lies with the ultranationalist Jewish Home party, which advocates annexation of parts of occupied territory Palestinians seek for a state.
Shortly after the March 17 vote, Netanyahu and his Likud party appeared to be coasting toward a right-leaning government with control of 67 of parliament’s 120 seats.
But on Monday, Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman, whose once-strong relationship with the Israeli leader turned sour long ago, dropped a bombshell by taking his far-right Yisrael Beitenu party out of the coalition talks.
That left Netanyahu with the support of two ultra-Orthodox Jewish parties and a centrist faction, a total of 53 seats, making the addition of Jewish Home’s eight legislators crucial for a majority.
Such a narrow government would make Netanyahu vulnerable to policy demands from even his most junior coalition partners.
Jewish Home is 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.
The party’s leader, Naftali Bennett, has called for the annexation of parts of the West Bank. That goes beyond Netanyahu’s pledge to continue to build in settlements in areas Israel intends to keep in any future peace deal with the Palestinians.
