Netanyahu was tasked with forming a government after his conservative Likud party and potential national-religious partners won the November 1 elections, and this mandate is set to expire Sunday.
In a letter to President Isaac Herzog that Likud distributed to the media, Netanyahu asked for the full 14-day extension allowed by law. Herzog’s office did not immediately respond.
Netanyahu wrote in the letter that “some issues regarding roles have not yet been agreed upon” in coalition negotiations.
The centrist opposition urged Herzog not to grant an extension, and accused Netanyahu of trying to buy time to pass controversial legislation. One such bill could enable Aryeh Deri, the leader of the ultra-Orthodox Shas party, to serve in the cabinet despite his criminal record.
Earlier Thursday, Likud said in a statement that it had reached a coalition agreement with Shas, making it the fifth party to join Netanyahu and giving him comfortable control of 64 of the 120 Knesset seats.
“We have taken another step towards forming a right-wing government that will serve all the citizens of Israel,” Netanyahu said in a statement.
The agreement stipulates that Deri will take over the ministries of interior and health during the first half of the government’s term, then the Ministry of Finance in the second half, and he will also hold the position of deputy prime minister throughout Netanyahu’s term.
Deri, a veteran politician, was convicted of tax fraud last year but escaped prison under a plea agreement.
His joining the new government, along with two far-right parties run by hard-line settlers in the West Bank, has caused concern in Israel and abroad.
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