Inclusion of racist and homophobic extremists goes against the state’s Declaration of Independence’s vision of equality and justice
Monday’s election left the veteran right-winger in prime position to form a government and end a year of political deadlock, after similar votes in April and September proved inconclusive
Netanyahu sought to portray himself as Israel’s essential statesman in the run-up to the vote and highlighted his bond with US President Donald Trump
Security, corruption and the economy have been dominating the campaigns before Tuesday’s vote
Ahead of Tuesday’s vote, opinion polls are giving Netanyahu’s Likud and Gantz’s Blue and White a similar number of seats in the 120-seat parliament
Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud signed a coalition deal with the ultra-Orthodox Shas party on Monday, bringing the leader closer to forming a government.
Israeli prime minister-designate Benjamin Netanyahu signed his first coalition agreement overnight with the ultranationalist Israel Beiteinu party.
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/ 27 February 2009
Last-ditch efforts to form a broad-based Israeli coalition failed on Friday, fuelling concerns about prospects for peace with the Palestinians.
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/ 27 February 2009
Likud leader Benjamin Netanyahu was making a fresh bid on Friday to persuade Tzipi Livni to bring her centrist Kadima party into an Israeli coalition.
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/ 25 February 2009
Benjamin Netanyahu, the hawkish leader of Israel’s Likud party, has not given up hope of forging a broad coalition government.
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/ 20 February 2009
Right-wing leader Benjamin Netanyahu will be asked to form the next Israeli government, the office of President Shimon Peres said on Friday.
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/ 19 February 2009
The Israeli president was to hold talks with party officials on Thursday and decide within four days who will be tasked with forming a new government.
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/ 13 February 2009
Final results confirmed the Kadima party narrowly won the election but suggested Likud is better placed to form a government.
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/ 11 February 2009
Israel faced on Wednesday what could be weeks of political uncertainty after an election that ended with clashing claims of victory.
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/ 3 February 2009
Hawkish frontrunner Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday vowed he would smash Hamas if he becomes Israel’s prime minister after next week’s elections.
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/ 29 January 2009
Benjamin Netanyahu accused Hamas on Thursday of pursuing its ”terror efforts” despite a ceasefire in the Gaza war.
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/ 26 January 2009
Front-runner Benjamin Netanyahu has moved quickly to deflect allegations his victory could mean conflict with new US President Barack Obama.
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/ 26 October 2008
Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni was expected to announce her failure to form a new government on Sunday and call for snap general elections.
A United States businessman at the centre of a bribery case against Prime Minister Ehud Olmert testified on Tuesday he gave the Israeli leader cash-stuffed envelopes but without expecting any favours in return. ”I never expected anything personally. I never had any personal benefits from this relationship whatsoever,” Morris Talansky told court.
Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert was questioned by police for an hour on Friday, the second time this month that investigators have quizzed him over allegations he took bribes from an American businessman. Investigators from the National Fraud Unit turned up early for a previously arranged appointment at Olmert’s official residence in Jerusalem.
Public mistrust is mounting against Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, with an opinion poll on Monday showing a majority of Israelis think he should resign over a new probe into corruption allegations. Fifty-nine percent of Israelis want Olmert to step down, according to the survey published by the Yediot Aharonot newspaper.
Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert faced a barrage of calls to resign on Friday after he admitted taking cash from an American businessman at the centre of a police investigation into suspected bribery. But Olmert, whose departure could disrupt peace negotiations with the Palestinians, continued with his duties.