Netanyahu Struggling to Form Government as Deadline Looms

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is struggling to form a stable coalition before Wednesday’s deadline after the surprise decision of a former ally not to join his government.

The move by Foreign Minister Avigdor Liberman on Tuesday means that Netanyahu must rely on the right-wing Jewish Home party to secure a razor-thin majority.

Netanyahu’s Likud party emerged from the March 17 election as the biggest faction in Israel’s parliament, the 120-seat Knesset, but well short of the majority needed to form a government.

The prime minister’s task of forging a coalition with Jewish Home is complicated by his strained personal relationship with its leader, Economy Minister Naftali Bennett, who once served as Netanyahu’s chief-of-staff. Bennett is insisting any further coalition negotiations be conducted only between him and Netanyahu, and has stiffened his conditions for joining the new government, Israel Radio said. Spokesmen for both parties had no comment on the coalition talks.

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-05-05/netanyahu-grappling-to-form-israeli-government-as-deadline-looms