Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu embarked on Wednesday on yet another round of meetings with the leaders of the five right-wing and religious parties who are expected to be members of his new coalition.
With one week left to the deadline for swearing in his fifth government, Likud’s negotiators were still far from finalising coalition agreements with any of the partners.
There are 120 seats in the Knesset, which means a coalition will need at least 61 votes to form the next Israeli government.
held by Likud, the party of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (pictured). It means he needs at least 26 more to command a Knesset majority.
What do his future partners demand? Pick one and read more
Knesset seats: 5
The demands of party leader Avigdor Lieberman are the most difficult for Mr Netanyahu to meet. Not only does it want defence and immigration — the portfolios it held last time — but Mr Lieberman wants a much tougher stance on Gaza than the PM and that not a word be changed in the new Yeshiva students military draft law. This puts him at loggerheads with UTJ demands to change clauses containing penalties if the prescribed quotas of Strictly Orthodox draftees are not met.
Knesset seats: 5
Combines: Jewish Home, Tkuma, Jewish Power
Before the election, Benjamin Netanyahu made big promises including two senior ministerial jobs to the United Right List to ensure that it took in candidates from the far-right Jewish Power. The List won fewer seats than its predecessor Jewish Home, but is still demanding the Education and Justice ministries that Jewish Home held. Mr Netanyahu is prepared to give them Education but anxious for one of his Likud loyalists to become justice minister and is trying to convince the List to make do with Housing instead. The List also demands the new government commit to some form of annexation of Jewish settlements in the West Bank — another Netanyahu election promise — although the prime minister is loath to do so before the Trump Peace Plan is announced.
Knesset seats: 8
Of the five coalition partners, Shas is the closest to closing a deal with Likud. The party will receive three ministries: Interior, Religious Services and probably Social Services. Most of the party’s other demands are regarded as “minor”, but Shas is constrained by an unofficial agreement with UTJ to present a joint front on issues of state and religion — so until the impasse over the yeshiva students law is not solved, it cannot sign.
Knesset seats: 8
Combines: Degel HaTorah, Agudat Israel
The Ashkenazi Strictly Orthodox party cannot sign off on a coalition deal without agreement from the senior rabbis who lead the various Charedi sects represented by UTJ. This gives the more hardline rabbis an advantage because the rest have to fall in line with their demands. Rabbi Yaakov Alter, leader of the Ger Chassidim, is calling the shots on this occasion: he is adamant that the yeshiva students law is changed and wants assurances over Shabbat observance in public spaces, including a crackdown on the infrastructure work routinely carried out on Judaism’s day of rest. He also wants Jerusalem Zoo — currently open seven days a week — to close it doors on Shabbat too.
Knesset seats: 4
Despite losing over half of its seats in the election, party leader Moshe Kahlon insists on staying Finance Minister. While Mr Netanyahu is prepared for that, he is less receptive to Mr Kahlon’s demands not to raise taxes and to review all the budgetary commitments being made to the other coalition partners. It is also unclear if Kulanu will demand the right to vote against the coalition on matters pertaining to the powers of the Supreme Court, a position it held in the previous government.
The main obstacle remaining is Yisrael Beiteinu leader Avigdor Lieberman’s demand that he be appointed defence minister with greater authority to decide on policy — he resigned last year over Mr Netanyahu’s decision to allow Qatari money into Gaza as part of the ceasefire agreement with Hamas, and does not want this to happen again.
He also wants the bill on drafting Yeshiva students into the military prepared in the previous Knesset to be passed by the new coalition without any changes.
