Otzma Yehudit says ‘not clear’ if Netanyahu will secure agreement before deadline

21 December 2022, 10:50 pm

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Prime minister designate Benjamin Netanyahu, center, at the Knesset, Israel's parliament, in Jerusalem, December 13, 2022.(AP Photo/ Maya Alleruzzo, File)

Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud party is still locked in coalition negotiations with the far-right Otzma Yehudit party, as the deadline for announcing a coalition closes in.

“It’s not clear if the agreement will be implemented tonight,” Otzma Yehudit says in a statement.

Netanyahu has until midnight to inform President Isaac Herzog, who formally tasked him with forming a new ruling coalition after last month’s Knesset elections, whether he has the votes to swear in a new government.

The Likud party leader can alternatively ask for an additional four days to finalize his coalition, after already receiving a 10-day extension from Herzog.

With less than two hours to go, Netanyahu has also hit a roadblock with the United Torah Judaism party, according to Ynet.

The Likud leader is slated to swear in the next government by January 2, and has to submit the coalition agreements to the Knesset 24 hours before the swearing-in.