Israel's right-wing prime minister-designate Benjamin Netanyahu won a two-week extension today to form a government, an aide said, allowing for further efforts to woo centre-left Labour to join his coalition.
President Shimon Peres tasked Netanyahu's Likud party with forming a government after a February 10th election, with 28 working days in which to court potential coalition partners. The extension sets April 3rd as his new deadline.
An aide said that though Mr Netanyahu was nearing alliances with rightist factions that would let him control 61 of parliament's 120 seats, the Likud leader had asked Mr Peres for more time "because he wants to build as broad a coalition as possible."
Mr Peres granted the request in talks with Mr Netanyahu.
Labour's leader, outgoing Defence Minister Ehud Barak, a former military chief, has said he would ask the party's decision-making body for a mandate to join Mr Netanyahu's government, which was expected to vote on the motion next week.
Joining Netanyahu's coalition could rescue Labour from threatened political obscurity.
Once Israel's dominant party, Labour came in fourth in a February election, winning just 13 seats. Likud won 27 and centrist Kadima of outgoing Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni polled 28 seats, while far-right Yisrael Beitenu won 15.
Ms Livni has so far ruled out a Kadima alliance with Likud.
Mr Barak told Israel Radio yesterday that Mr Netanyahu's overtures "deserve to be considered." He suggested Labour could soften Mr Netanyahu's hardline team and avoid conflict with US efforts to resume Israeli-Palestinian peace talks.
Reuters