After a hard-fought but decisive Likud Party election victory in March, Benjamin Netanyahu did not look like he needed a whole seven weeks to form a government. But the process went to the wire in an eventual 11th-hour deal. However, to beat the deadline and ensure a fourth term in office, Netanyahu needed backing from the right-wing Bayit Yehudi Party to give him the necessary 61 seats. Netanyahu got what he wanted but in the process he also got hardline allies who are as averse to peace moves with the Palestinians as much if not more than he is, which says a lot about the prospects for a peace settlement. Before he could reach the finish line, Netanyahu had 53 of the 61 seats he needed. The last eight were in the hands of Bayit Yehudi, led by Naftali Bennett. Bennett had demanded the justice ministry in return for the support of his eight MPs. Bennett opposes the establishment of a Palestinian state, enjoys the support of Israeli settler communities in the West Bank and has called for the annexation of parts of the occupied territory. Bayit Yehudi's backing for settlement expansion could thus worsen Israel's relations with its ally Washington and with Europe. This will come at a time when Netanyahu is already responsible for the moribund peace process and is dead set against the nuclear deal with Iran that the Obama administration reached. Apparently, though, there was no way out for Netanyahu. Despite disappointing election results, Bayit Yehudi demanded top cabinet posts and major influence disproportionate to its numbers. In the final 48 hours of negotiations, Bennett's party was the last to sign an agreement, holding the fate of the new Netanyahu government in his hands. In the end Netanyahu capitulated, forced to surrender the justice ministry, which is now set to be headed by Bennett's ally, Ayelet Shaked. True, Netanyahu will have a solid parliamentary majority of like-minded parties that could avoid much of the infighting that plagued the outgoing government and provide some welcome political stability at home. And a unity government that includes his leftist rivals would help blunt that looming international isolation. But such a coalition — averse to peace moves with the Palestinians and in favor of expanded settlement construction in the West Bank — quickly would find itself on a collision course with the international community. Despite his rhetoric, it would be political suicide and recklessness to an extreme if Netanyahu was not concerned about clashes with his allies in the US and Western Europe. Also, as large chunks of the budget will now be allocated to settlements in the West Bank rather than to benefit the middle class in Israel, this risks triggering a public backlash. Despite this being one of the most right-wing governments in Israel's history, there are claims that it is not national enough because it was not formally committed to building more houses in the Jewish settlements in East Jerusalem and the West Bank. That is surely a disingenuous charge. The government has just approved 900 new settlement homes in East Jerusalem, less than a day after Netanyahu announced the formation of a right-wing coalition government. It is hard to see how Netanyahu's new government plans to counter international pressure from America and the European Union to restart the diplomatic process with the Palestinians. With a coalition resolutely opposed to freezing settlement building or countenancing the establishment of a Palestinian state, any new peace initiative is a non-starter. And with a tiny majority, the narrowest possible, it is all but certain that this government will not be more stable than its predecessor.
