Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has formed a unity government in a surprise move that could give him a freer hand to attack Iran’s nuclear facilities and seek peace with the Palestinians

ISRAELI Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu formed a unity government yesterday in a surprise move that could give him a freer hand to attack Iran’s nuclear facilities and seek peace with the Palestinians.

The coalition deal, negotiated secretly over the past few days and sealed at a private meeting overnight, means the centrist Kadima party teams up with Mr Netanyahu’s rightist coalition, creating a wide majority of 94 out of 120 MPs.

The coalition, which replaces a plan announced just two days earlier for a snap election in September, is one of the biggest in Israeli history.

“This government is good for security, good for the economy and good for the people of Israel,” Mr Netanyahu told a joint news conference with Kadima’s leader, Shaul Mofaz. Mr Netanyahu said the new coalition would focus on sharing the duty of military conscription among all Israelis, redrawing the budget and advancing electoral reform.

Ultra-orthodox parties in the coalition have opposed plans to extend conscription to their supporters, who are now exempt.

“Lastly, it is to try to advance a responsible peace process…. Not all has been agreed but we have a very strong basis for continued action,” the prime minister said. He hoped the Palestinians would “spot the opportunity and come sit with us for serious negotiations”.

Environment Minister Gilad Erdan said the pact would help build support for potential action against Iran’s atomic programme, which Israel views as an existential threat.

“An election wouldn’t stop Iran’s nuclear programme,” he told Israel Radio. “When a decision is taken to attack or not, it is better to have a broad political front.”

A spokesman for Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas called on Israel to “use the opportunity provided by the expansion of its coalition government” to expedite a peace accord. “This requires an immediate halt to all settlement activity throughout the Palestinian territories,” spokesman Nabil Abu Rdainah said.

“The new coalition government needs to be a coalition of peace and not a coalition for war.”

Peace talks have been suspended for 18 months.

The coalition accord was to be formally ratified later yesterday and presented to parliament.

Mr Mofaz, a former defence minister, will be named vice-premier. He took over leadership of the Kadima party in March from Tzipi Livni.

As deputy prime minister in a former Kadima-headed government in 2008, Mr Mofaz — who was born in Iran — was among the first Israeli officials to publicly moot the possibility of an attack on Iran.

But he has been more circumspect while in the opposition, saying Israel should not hasten to break ranks with war-wary world powers that are trying to pressure Iran through sanctions and talks.

Gerald Steinberg, a political scientist at Bar-Ilan University near Tel Aviv, said the deal sent a “strong signal to Tehran, but also to Europe and the US, that Israel is united and the leadership is capable of dealing with the threats that are there if and when it becomes necessary”.

Israeli officials say the next year may be crucial in seeing whether Iran will curb its nuclear plans in the face of international condemnation and western sanctions. Iran will discuss its nuclear programme with major powers on May 23.

Israel has regularly hinted it will strike the Islamic republic if Tehran does not pull back. On Tuesday, Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast dismissed the threats of attack as “propaganda”.

Iran regularly rejects Israeli and western accusations that it is developing a nuclear bomb. Israel is widely assumed to have the Middle East’s only nuclear arsenal.

Israel’s next election was due in October next year but Mr Netanyahu pushed for an early poll because of divisions in his coalition over the new conscription law. Parliament was preparing to dissolve to clear the decks for a September 4 ballot while talks with Kadima were under way.

“When it turned out it was possible to set up the biggest government in Israel’s history … I thought we could restore stability without elections,” Mr Netanyahu said.

The accord stunned the political establishment and drew swift condemnation from the centre-left Labour party, touted in opinion polls to be on course for a resurgence at the expense of Kadima.

“This is a pact of cowards, and the most contemptible and preposterous zigzag in Israel’s political history,” Labour leader Shelly Yachimovich was quoted as saying.

Kadima, with 28 seats, will add significant weight to the coalition.

Reuters