Israel: President taps Netanyahu to form new govt
TEL AVIV: Israel’s president officially tapped former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to form a government on Sunday, opening the door for the likely return to power of the longserving leader after a one-year hiatus. With Netanyahu comes what’s expected to be Israel’s most right-wing coalition ever.
Elections earlier this month indicated a clear win for Netanyahu and his ultra-orthodox and ultranationalist allies and ended the short-lived, ideologically-diverse government that had ousted him last year after Netanyahu’s 12 consecutive years in power.
Though political horse-trading began as soon as the election results firmed up, Sunday’s development means Netanyahu now has up to six weeks to conclude negotiations and cobble together a government.
Netanyahu struck a conciliatory tone at the Jerusalem event where Israel’s ceremonial President Isaac Herzog bestowed upon him the task of forming a government.
Netanyahu played down concerns by Israeli liberals and some of the country’s international allies that Israel was “entering a dark tunnel” with his expected government.
“We will do everything to make this, with God’s help, a stable government, a successful government, a responsible government, a dedicated government that will work for the benefit of all residents of the state of Israel, without exception,” he said. With his allies keen on gaining power and ending the outgoing coalition’s rule as soon as possible, Netanyahu will likely try to quickly wrap up negotiations.
Israeli strikes kill two Syrian soldiers
Israeli strikes on Sunday evening killed two Syrian regime soldiers and wounded three others in the central Homs province. Syrian air defences responded to “hostile targets over the southeastern Homs province”, intercepting “several of them”, Syria’s official news agency SANA said.