The Scotsman

Likud deal with radical ANTI-LGBTQ Israeli party

- By CHAD MAXWELL

Former Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu has struck a coalition deal with a small ultra-nationalis­t faction leader known for homophobic rhetoric and disparagin­g remarks about non-orthodox Jews.

In a sign of the prospectiv­e government's hardline compositio­n, Mr Net any ahu's li kud party announced that the agreement names Noam faction leader Avi Maoz as a deputy minister whose portfolio includes an office bolstering Jewish identity among Israelis.

The step is part of Mr Netanyahu's effort to hammer out a power-sharing agreement with his potential ultra-orthodox and ultranatio­nalist allies following the November 1 parliament­ary election.

Mr Netanyahu stands poised to form one of the most hardline religious and nationalis­t government­s in Israel's history.

Mr Maoz, a Jewish fundamenta­list and West Bank settler, is an outspoken opponent of LGBTQ rights, women serving in the military and Arabs teaching Jewish students.

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