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.
But Mr Lieberman’s insistence on an unaltered draft law runs counter to the Charedi parties, United Torah Judaism and Shas, who want the bill to change, particularly on the quota of yeshiva students who will enlist in the military, and the penalties imposed if the quotas are not met.
With the other two parties, the United Right List and Kulanu, the main bone of contention concerns the ministerial portfolios they will receive.
The List is demanding Bezalel Smotrich becomes the next justice minister but Mr Netanyahu is anxious to keep that for one of his Likud loyalists.
Meanwhile, Kulanu’s Moshe Kahlon not only insists on remaining finance minister but demands the final say on any tax rises, which he opposes, and to review the budgetary demands of the other parties before signing his coalition agreement with Likud.
The six-week period granted to Mr Netanyahu by President Reuven Rivlin to form a government ends next week.
For now the expectation is that Mr Netanyahu will succeed at the last minute but if he fails to secure a majority in the Knesset by then, President Rivlin will have to allow another MK the opportunity to try form a government. If that candidate also fails in 28 days, new elections must be held.
Mr Netanyahu’s task to sign agreements with all his partners is made much harder by the fact they are all very aware he needs a majority in the Knesset to shield himself from indictments.
His coalition partners’ appetites are accordingly large: they want a ministerial portfolio for every two Knesset seats. That means the new government may contain over 30 ministers, requiring a change in the law that limits portfolios to just 18.
