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Israeli PM says he will not sit in unity government with Zionist Union

Xinhua, March 13, 2015 Adjust font size:

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in an interview to an Israeli TV channel he will not agree to be in a unity government with the center-left Zionist Union, which is gaining a lead on Netanyahu's Likud party ahead of the March 17 elections.

Netanyahu told the Channel 2 news on Thursday evening that there is a "definite risk" if he will not be prime minister following the upcoming elections, with recent polls giving the Zionist Union party 24 seats out of 120 in Israeli parliament, compared to 21 seats for the Likud.

The prime minister said there is "no option" for a unity government with the Zionist Union, led by Labor chief Isaac Herzog, in which both will serve as prime ministers in rotation.

"There's a clear choice between the two paths. I will not serve as prime minister in a rotation and this situation needs to be prevented," he said.

Asked about the soaring costs of living and housing crisis made public by a recent comptroller's report, Netanyahu admitted he did not do enough to solve the problem and said he would continue to work on it after re-elected as prime minister.

The Israeli prime minister had refused to be interviewed since January and also refused to attend a televised debate with Herzog.

Netanyahu's media blitz is the last interview to be given until the elections. After Friday, media outlets will not be allowed to air any propaganda, and polls cannot be published as well in four days prior to Tuesday's elections.

Netanyahu is not the only one who made last-minute interview on Thursday evening.

Zionist Union leader Isaac Herzog told the Channel 2 news, regarding Netanyahu's refusal to form a unity government, that he has no plans of a rotation with Netanyahu and he sets out to replace him altogether.

Herzog also stood by the decision to conduct a rotation in the prime minister's role with Tzipi Livni, with whom he established the roster, a combination of the Labor and Livni's Hatnua party.

Once the votes for the parties are in, Israeli President Reuven Rivlin will consult with the heads of the political parties in order to decide who has the best chance to form a government, based on their recommendations.

Therefore, even if the Zionist Union does get more votes than the Likud, it still needs to build a center-left coalition that would outsize the right-wing one. Endit