Netanyahu to seek more time to form government from president
Two months after elections, Netanyahu still working to form coalition, set to request extension from president amid unity government rumors.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will meet with President Reuven Rivlin on Monday to request an extension to form the next government, as he has not yet reached the prerequisite majority needed to form a governing coalition.
The news comes after weeks in which Netanyahu met with the heads of Israel's center and right wing parties to reach a majority, while Zionist Union leader Isaac Herzog reiterated his intentions not to join the government, ending any speculation Netanyahu was holding out for a unity governement.
"Right after the elections I said we were heading toward the opposition. It is not a default. It is a priority," said Herzog, adding that he believes that Netanyahu would form a government consisting of 67 right wing MKs.
Netanyahu met with Bayit Yehudi chairman Naftali Bennett at the Prime Minister's Office in Jerusalem for coalition negotiations Friday morning. This is the first meeting the two have held since communications were cut off some two weeks ago, with Netanyahu busy courting other potential coalition members.
On Thursday, Netanyahu attempt to end a two-week standoff between Shas and Kulanu by offering Shas leader Aryeh Deri the Transportation Ministry or an expanded economic portfolio in exchange for his demand for the Interior Ministry – parts of which are being demanded by Kahlon.
Netanyahu wants to keep the Interior Ministry for his Likud party so he could give Kulanu authority over the ministry's Planning Administration. Deri, on his part, refuses to allow control over the administration to be taken from under the Interior Ministry – leading Netanyahu to try to offer him another portfolio altogether.
Earlier this week, Shas was offered the Economy Ministry, the Ministry for the Development of the Negev and Galilee and the Public Diplomacy and Diaspora Affairs Ministry.
On Tuesday, after Deri rejected the offer, the Likud's negotiating team attempted to improve upon the proposal or change it by offering Shas a senior economic portfolio - the Transportation Ministry, currently in the hands of Likud Minister Israel Katz who has angered Israelis by refusing to allow public transportation on Saturdays and holidays.
But sources on both Shas and Likud's negotiating teams said Deri is expected to reject that offer as well and instead insist on the Interior Ministry or the Economy Ministry with additional authorities.
Likud officials explained that since the Interior Ministry has already been promised to Deri, if no acceptable alternative can be found, the Shas chairman will likely get his way.
Meanwhile, United Torah Judaism is now expected to be the first party to join Netanyahu's fourth government. The Ashkenazi ultra-Orthodox six-MKs faction is currently working on formulating the details of their coalition agreement.
As part of the agreement, party leader Yaakov Litzman will be appointed deputy health minister with a minister's authorities, MK Moshe Gafni will be appointed the head of the Knesset Finance Committee, MK Meir Parush will be appointed deputy minister in either the Construction or Education ministries, while MK Uri Maklev might also be appointed the head of a Knesset committee.
UTJ also has economic and religious demands which include maintaining the status quo on matters of religion and state, which means the de facto shelving of the Conversion Bill.
