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Israel

Likud-Zionist Union unity deal back on the cards

May 5, 2016 11:26
Netanyahu2 4

By

Nathan Jeffay,

Nathan Jeffay

1 min read

A deal to bring Israel's main opposition party into the government is back on the cards, as the cloud of scandal starts to lift from opposition leader Isaac Herzog.

The unity agreement between Benjamin Netanyahu's Likud and the main opposition party, Zionist Union, was put on ice in March when Mr Herzog was named as a suspect in a corruption investigation.

Devastating to Zionist Union, it was also a blow to Likud, which is desperate to bolster its tiny Knesset majority.

The police file on Mr Herzog, which concerns alleged irregularities in the way his leadership campaign was funded, is now expected to be closed and the coalition deal is understood to be on the table again. To the dismay of current coalition parties who stand to lose out if the deal is closed, Likud is believed to be trying to lure Zionist Union by offering ministerial positions and roles on parliamentary committees.