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Israel's Netanyahu urges right-wing parties to form coalition

AFP
JerusalemUpdated: Apr 01, 2021, 10:38 AM IST
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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (file photo) Photograph:(Reuters)

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The vote, Israel's fourth in two years, delivered the veteran premier's Likud 30 seats in the 120-seat parliament, making it the biggest party

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called on right-wing parties on Wednesday to join him in a governing coalition, in his first speech since elections last week.

The vote, Israel's fourth in two years, delivered the veteran premier's Likud 30 seats in the 120-seat parliament, making it the biggest party -- but a majority of 61 is required to form a government.

Netanyahu, who is on trial on corruption charges, faces a bloc of 57 lawmakers led by centrist part Yesh Atid, who are seeking to end his record-breaking 12 years in power. 

Both camps are short of an overall majority, and Netanyahu is reaching out to small, undeclared parties which could take his government over the line.

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In a brief televised address on Wednesday, Netanyahu insisted that "the people have given a majority to the right, with 65 seats" and urged undecided right-wing leaders to "come back home" and join a coalition.

"Let's put our differences aside to form, together, a stable government of the right, as the people want," he said.

The hard-right Yamina party of Naftali Bennett, with seven seats, could potentially join the six lawmakers of the New Hope party of Gideon Saar to help the premier form a majority.

Both Bennett and Saar are former Netanyahu allies.

Saar has repeatedly ruled out joining a Netanyahu administration, tweeting again on Wednesday that he would "neither join nor support a government led by Netanyahu".

Bennett has yet to say whether he would join a government led by his former boss.

Yamina said in a statement Wednesday that Bennett would "make every effort to form a stable government to save Israel from chaos".

Israel's President Reuven Rivlin said Monday he would pick a candidate by April 7 to form the next government.