Israeli hawkish lawmaker accepts offer to serve as Netanyahu's defense minister: source

Israeli hawkish lawmaker Avigdor Lieberman has accepted Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's offer to serve as defense minister in his government, a source familiar with Netanyahu's Likud party told Xinhua.

Lieberman joining the government is "practically a done deal" after he accepted a proposal to become defense minister instead of Moshe Ya'alon, the source, who is not at liberty to discuss the details with the media, said on condition of anonymity.

"He (Lieberman) got assurances on receiving the defense portfolio, which he wanted, and he accepted on principle, so it appears the road is paved for him to join the government," the source said.

Another source told the Ynet news website that leaders of both parties reached agreements and hoped to end the negotiations by Friday morning. The two are set to meet again later on Wednesday evening.

Lieberman and Netanyahu held an "urgent" meeting on Wednesday afternoon, over the possibility of Lieberman's ultranationalist Israel Beytenu (Israel is our home) party joining Netanyahu's governing coalition.

Netanyahu's Likud party released a statement following the meeting that it was held in a "positive" atmosphere and that the two decided to set up negotiating teams to smooth over the details.

Earlier on Wednesday, Lieberman said at a press conference he will be willing to discuss joining Netanyahu's government if he will get the defense portfolio, and if Netanyahu agrees to his initiative of legislating a law that would apply death penalties to terrorists.

The move comes after a week of reports of contacts between Netanyahu and head of the center-left Zionist Union list Isaac Herzog, regarding the latter's possible entrance into the government.

Herzog, who was criticized by members of his party for negotiating to join Netanyahu's right-wing government, said earlier on Wednesday that he is "suspending" negotiations with Netanyahu as long as negotiations between the Likud and Israel Beytenu parties are underway.

Netanyahu is making efforts to increase the size of his coalition in order to stabilize it, as it only has a slim 61-59 majority in the Israeli parliament over the opposition.

Netanyahu and Lieberman had worked together in the past, and ran a joint list in the 2013 elections. Lieberman had, among others, served as the Israeli foreign minister in Netanyahu's previous government.

Netanyahu's current government marks a year to its formation this month, after Netanyahu's party won the majority of the votes in the March 2015 national elections. Endit