Netanyahu’s opponents race deadline on unity government

JERUSALEM (AP) — Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's opponents raced the clock to finalize a coalition government that would end his 12-year rule ahead of a deadline at midnight Wednesday.

Centrist Yair Lapid and ultranationalist Naftali Bennett have joined forces and agreed to rotate the premiership between them, with Bennett going first. But they were still working to cobble together a ruling coalition that would include parties from across the political spectrum.

Israeli media reported there were some lingering disagreements over lower-level political appointments.

According to the reports, Ayelet Shaked, Bennett's deputy, was demanding a place on a committee that chooses the nation's judges.

But Shaked, a prominent voice in Israel's hard-line right wing, has expressed misgivings about joining forces with the dovish members of the emerging coalition.

Both Shaked and Bennett have come under heavy pressure from Netanyahu and the country's right wing base not to join his opponents. The Knesset, or parliament, has assigned additional security guards to both in recent days because of death threats and online incitement.

By early Wednesday evening, just six hours before the deadline at midnight, there was still no sign of progress.

Lapid must inform Israel's largely ceremonial president, Reuven Rivlin, by midnight that he has formed a majority coalition of at least 61 seats in the Knesset. The assembly would then have a week to hold a vote of confidence.

If Lapid misses the deadline, the country will almost certainly have a fifth election in just over two years, and Netanyahu would have yet another chance to hold onto his position as he stands trial for corruption.