A GOVERNMENT IS FINALLY FORMED

Benjamin Netanyahu has finally formed a new government coalition, after at least a month of negotiations, and agreed to some of the key demands of the Bennett-Lapid teaming. This article does contain some expected propaganda for a UK rag, and I suppose I'll take issue with the following:

The ultra-orthodox parties are natural allies of Mr Netanyahu. “We wanted a broader more stable coalition and we didn’t hide that at any stage of the negotiations, unfortunately our partners wanted differently,” Zeev Elkin of Mr Netanyahu's Likud Party told Israel radio. “Under the difficult near impossible conditions, we had no other option and more or less had to conduct coalition talks under extortion, there is no other expression to describe it, under these conditions I think we obtained the maximum.”

Oh, they're natural allies alright! Shas betrayed Netanyahu more than twice years before, to say nothing of the Zionist camp in Israel, and would not back him for prime minister because he wanted to cut back on the welfare payments given to the Haredi community. And Aryeh Deri said:

Arieh Deri – the leader of the ultra-orthodox Shas party, told Israel’s Army radio that, “our first mission is to topple this government.”

Tsk tsk tsk. They contradict themselves almost immediately.

Here's a better article, telling about Yesh Atid's fight for the education ministry:

With the signing of a coalition agreement set for Thursday night, Yesh Atid chairman Yair Lapid wrote to Facebook fans Thursday, “Well, this is probably the end, or actually, the beginning...”

Lapid, who fought hard to wrest control of the Education portfolio from Likud, added an apology for “the long silence,” writing that “every word would have had too many interpretations and spins.

“After we sign the final document (probably tonight) I’ll update and explain, but it was important to tell the Facebook community of Yesh Atid (There’s a Future) I am still here and will continue to be here, because our dialogue is part of the new politics where elected officials do not close the door and leave the day after receiving their position. Thank you for all the support, and thank you for caring,” Lapid wrote.

Lapid has won the post of Finance Minister. The party’s Number Two, MK Rabbi Shai Piron, will take the Education Ministry portfolio – ending a week-long battle with the Likud over the post.

What can I say? He might make a pretty good choice for the role.