Israel’s Netanyahu Seeks More Time to Form Government

Israel’s Benjamin Netanyahu has asked President Isaac Herzog to grant him a two-week extension to allow him more time to form a ruling coalition, as he looks to finalize talks with right-wing and religious parties that would see him return to power after 18 months in opposition.

His Likud party won the most votes in last month’s general election — the fifth since 2019 — but fell short of commanding an overall majority in the Israeli parliament, the Knesset. Netanyahu has been attempting to finalize a coalition agreement with would-be allies from the far-right and religious parties ahead of the December 11 deadline.