PM Netanyahu to Request More Time to Form Governing Coalition

Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu will request that President Reuven Rivlin grant him an additional two weeks to form a governing coalition, according to a spokesperson for the ruling Likud party. The official attributed the need for an extension to last week’s military confrontation with Hamas and Islamic Jihad in the Gaza Strip, as well as to the premier’s recent busy schedule attending ceremonies for Jewish and national holidays. Netanyahu won a fifth term in office in the April 9 elections and is currently in negotiations with various right-wing and ultra-Orthodox parties to form a majority bloc in the 120-member parliament. Israeli law grants an initial 28 days to form a government, a period that ends on Wednesday. Notably, the prime minister has yet to reach terms with even one of his potential coalition partners.