1st LD: Israeli PM manages to secure majority coalition in the nick of time

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has managed to clinch a deal with the nationalist Jewish Home party late Wednesday night, securing a new ruling coalition with a tiny majority in the 120-member parliament.

At a joint press conference, the fourth-time prime minister announced the deal, which was reached hours before the deadline to form the new government that is going to expire midnight Wednesday.

"I'm sure no one is surprised of the fact these negotiations continued with all of the factions, and no one was surprised that it ended on time," Netanyahu said.

"This is not a government for right-wing people or left-wing people or center people but for the entire people of Israel," Jewish Home leader Naftali Bennett told reporters.

"Prime Minister Netanyahu, we're behind you, we'll do everything to assist your success and for the success of the government. We've reached a fine and worthy result for all involved. This government can complete a term," Bennett added.

Following the last-minute talks, political sources knowledgeable with the negotiations told Xinhua that Jewish Home hawkish minister Ayelet Shaked will become the next justice minister and will head the ministerial committee of legislation, which is responsible for the government's bill proposals. She will also be a member of the security cabinet, along with Bennett.

The agreement between the parties was not officially inked, as final details will be hashed out in the upcoming days, but they have reached a basic understanding on the Jewish Home's intention to join the government.

Other than the post of the justice minister, the Jewish Home party would receive the post of deputy defense chief, head of the parliament's Constitution, Law and Legislation Committee. It will also take over the Education Ministry, with Bennett serving as minister, and the agriculture portfolio.

A source in the Likud told the Ynet news website that Netanyahu was reluctant to hand over the justice portfolio to Shaked, a hawk known for her opposition to the Supreme Court's authority. Throughout the day, the Likud delegates tried to diminish the future authorities of Shaked, but retreated from their demands as time is running out.

In fact, Netanyahu did not have too many options after Avigdor Lieberman, head of the Israel Beytenu party, announced Monday he would not join the next cabinet.

Lieberman's surprising move shattered Netanyahu's hopes of having a coalition backed by 67 lawmakers and sent him scrambling to form a narrow-majority coalition.

Netanyahu will have until next week to present his new government and have it inaugurated. On Monday, Netanyahu must present the members of his new government to the Knesset plenum. He will still have to make final decisions on how to allocate the portfolios among members of his own Likud party.

Netanyahu's Likud party won 30 out of 120 seats in the parliament in the March 17 elections. President Reuven Rivlin tasked him with establishing the next government.

He received an initial period of 28 days and then an extension of 14 days, to end negotiations. In the past week the Likud party signed coalition deals with the center Kulanu party, the ultra-Orthodox Shas and United Torah Judaism parties and, lastly, the Jewish Home party.

Commenting the new coalition on his twitter page, Labor party leader Yitzhak Herzog, whose party gained 24 seats in the parliament, said that the upcoming government "lacks responsibility, stability and governability."

"This is a weak and narrow government which would not promote anything and will be quickly replaced by an alternative of hope and responsibility,"the left-wing politician wrote. Enditem