Netanyahu Forms New Government Just Before Deadline
Six weeks after winning Israel’s national elections with a significant plurality, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu managed to cobble together a government after he gave in to a series of demands to the hardline Jewish Home party, including the Justice Ministry. With just an hour and a half before a midnight deadline to finalize a coalition, Netanyahu was able to inform President Reuven Rivlin that he had succeeded. He paid a high price to Naftali Bennett’s Jewish Home party, agreeing to allow the controversial Ayelet Shaked to become Justice Minister. Shaked made waves in Israel when she said that all Palestinians are “enemy combatants” and the Palestinian mothers send their children to attack Israelis “with flowers and kisses.” Netanyahu had wanted to save the Justice Ministry for his own Likud party, but could not form a coalition without Jewish Home, whose leader Bennet used to be Netanyahu’s chief of staff. The crisis was sparked when current Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman announced he is resigning and will not join the next government. While the new Israeli government will take office with a razor-thin majority of just 61 in the 120 seat Knesset, although he is expected to reach out to other potential partners including the head of the opposition Isaac Herzog.
Sudan Says It Shot Down Drone
Sudan’s army said that an object shot down by its anti-aircraft defenses near the capital Khartoum was a reconnaissance drone but its origins were not clear. The explosion triggered rumors of a coup attempt or an Israeli strike on a weapons cache that was perhaps designated for Hizbullah in south Lebanon. An army spokesman said the drone was flying at a low altitude over a military zone near Khartoum.
Two Egyptian policemen killed in Sinai
Two Egyptian police recruits were killed when gunmen shot them outside the gate of a training camp in north Sinai, which has been a focus of violence for many months. Last month, Egypt extended a state of emergency there, after a series of attacks by Islamist gunmen. Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi has cracked down hard on Islamist groups including outlawing the Muslim Brotherhood as a terrorist organization.
Syria’s Army Gaining Ground
The Syrian army and Hizbullah forces captured a mountainous area on Syria’s border with Lebanon after bombing killed dozens of Syrian rebels, according to Hizbullah’s Manar television. The rebels have launched attacks on the Syrian army from the Qalamoun mountains. After four years, the Syrian civil was shows no sign of ending.