Israeli President Isaac Herzog announced on Friday December 9 that he had granted Prime Minister-designate Benjamin Netanyahu an additional 10 days to form his government with his allies from the far right and religious parties.
On Thursday evening, less than three days before the December 11 deadline for forming a government, Binyamin Netanyahu had asked President Herzog for a two-week extension, which the latter partly accepted.
“We are in the middle of negotiations”
“
I grant you a period of 10 days, that is until Wednesday, December 21, to present a government
,” wrote Isaac Herzog to the prime minister-designate, in a letter released by his office.
Having won the legislative elections of November 1 with his far-right and ultra-Orthodox allies, Benyamin Netanyahu was appointed on November 13 to form a government within the following 28 days, with the possibility, however, of requesting an additional period of 14 days.
“
We are in the middle of negotiations and have made a lot of progress, but judging by the pace of things, I will need all the days of extension provided by law to form a government
,” Binyamin Netanyahu wrote Thursday in a letter to the president.
Respect the “diversity” of the country
In his response on Friday, Isaac Herzog, who had already expressed fears about some of Binyamin Netanyahu's coalition partners, asked the latter to form a government "
for the whole of Israeli society
" and to respect the "
diversity
" of the country.
In the negotiations, Benyamin Netanyahu's Likud has already granted sensitive portfolios to controversial figures such as far-right tenor Itamar Ben Gvir, hostile to the Palestinians, and Avi Maoz, known for his anti-LGBTQ positions.
After signing coalition agreements with the three far-right formations - Religious Zionism, Jewish Force and Noam - Likud has yet to finalize its discussions with the ultra-Orthodox parties United Torah Judaism (UJT, Ashkenazi) and Shass ( Sephardim).
However, to end these negotiations, the Likud must in particular change a law allowing the appointment of minister, the leader of the Shass party, Arieh Dery, indicted in 2021 for tax evasion before signing a plea bargain agreement under which he had left office. of deputy.
Read alsoIsaac Herzog, the outsider who can beat Netanyahu
Re-elected in November, he can, according to the law, sit in Parliament without being able to receive a ministerial portfolio.
Likud and its allies, who together hold a majority in parliament, could try to change the law as early as next week to allow Arieh Dery to join the next government, according to the Israeli press.
