‘I won’t join Netanyahu government,’ Herzog vows

Opposition head Isaac Herzog, who leads the left-wing Zionist Union party, said Thursday he had no intention of joining Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s fledgling narrow coalition, and called on Netanyahu to announce that he had failed to form a government.

“I have no intention of joining this government. I’ve said it again and again, and will repeat it in both English and Italian if need be,” Herzog told Channel 2 News. “I’ll be in the opposition and I’ll lead it.

“He is unable to form a government,” Herzog continued, a day after Netanyahu secured a 61-seat coalition — the smallest of majorities in the 120-seat Knesset. “But I could form one, a better one.

“This government is dangerous,” Herzog continued, acknowledging that his refusal to join the coalition could lead to new elections, but that it was unavoidable because of his “national responsibility.” The prime minister, he charged, “acts out of his personal self-interest.”

Earlier on Thursday, Likud officials confirmed that Netanyahu was hoping to expand his coalition to include the Zionist Union slate in a broad unity government. One party official told Israel Radio that Netanyahu was keeping the Foreign Ministry portfolio for himself in the hopes of later handing the top cabinet post to Herzog, should he manage to cajole Zionist Union into joining the coalition in the coming weeks.

Netanyahu himself hinted at efforts to expand his coalition when he announced his newly formed government Wednesday night. “Sixty-one seats is a good number. Sixty-one-plus is a better number. But it starts with 61, and we will begin with that,” he said. “We have a lot of work ahead of us.”

Capitulating to the demands of the Jewish Home party at the last minute on Wednesday night, Netanyahu agreed to give the right-wing party the education, justice and agriculture portfolios, the right to name a deputy defense minister from its own ranks, the leadership of the Knesset’s Constitution, Law and Justice Committee, and control over the World Zionist Organization’s Settlement Division, which funds and plans West Bank settlement building.

On Monday, Likud signed an agreement with Shas agreeing to give the ultra-Orthodox party the Economy Ministry, the Religious Affairs Ministry, the Ministry for the Development of the Negev and Galilee, the post of deputy finance minister and the chairmanship of the Knesset Education Committee. According to the agreement, party chairman Aryeh Deri will be the new economy minister and minister of development in the Negev. It is still unclear which of the party’s MKs will receive the religious affairs portfolio.

Last week, Netanyahu secured coalition deals with the Kulanu party and the ultra-Orthodox faction United Torah Judaism.

Kulanu, headed by former Likud minister Moshe Kahlon, will be given control of the finance, environmental protection, and housing and construction portfolios, as well as the head of the Israel Land Authority, under the deal.

In addition to the reversal of several major reforms drafted by the previous government aimed at integrating the ultra-Orthodox community into Israeli society, the coalition deal gave UTJ party head Yaakov Litzman the Health Ministry and appointed its deputy minister (party members do not assume top ministerial positions on ideological-religious grounds). In addition, MK Meir Porush will be appointed deputy education minister.

MK Moshe Gafni will head the powerful Knesset Finance Committee, which was previously demanded by Kahlon during negotiations with Likud. The Kulanu party will also take hold of the Science and Space Committee.

The ministers have until Wednesday to swear in, when Netanyahu will announce the full roster of his government ministers.

Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.