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Benjamin Netanyahu Forms a Government Just Before Deadline
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| Contributor | IndyGeorgia |
| Last Edited | IndyGeorgia May 06, 2015 07:36pm |
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| Category | Announcement |
| Author | Jodi Rudoren |
| Media | Newspaper - New York Times |
| News Date | Thursday, May 7, 2015 01:35:00 AM UTC0:0 |
| Description | JERUSALEM — Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel managed to form a new government just ahead of the legal deadline Wednesday night, and will start his fourth term with the slimmest parliamentary majority in an alliance with right-leaning and religious politicians.
Shortly before 11 p.m., Mr. Netanyahu appeared with the head of the Jewish Home faction, Naftali Bennett, at Israel’s Parliament building and informed reporters that they had sealed the deal. By 11:15, President Reuven Rivlin had been officially notified, as required by law.
”Mr. Prime Minister, we are behind you for the success of the country and the government you head,” Mr. Bennett said, in comments that were broadcast on Israeli radio.
Mr. Netanyahu indicated that he would still try to lure other parties to the coalition to strengthen it. “I said that 61 is a good number, and we will get started. There is a great deal of work ahead of us.”
Mr. Netanyahu celebrated a surprisingly strong victory in the March 17 elections after a divisive campaign, but ended up scrambling to scrape together the minimum required 61 of Parliament’s 120 members into his Likud coalition and hold onto his premiership. He was forced to make major concessions to the more conservative Jewish Home, and emerged weakened to lead a coalition that Israeli experts said was unlikely to last long or do much.
“Netanyahu simply miscalculated,” said Eytan Gilboa, a professor at Bar-Ilan University who specializes in politics and communications. “What you see here is a big political mess that, I think, shows Netanyahu has been too confident.” Of the new coalition, he added, “Nobody in his right mind believes that this will hold for even a short time.” |
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