Benjamin Netanyahu close to okaying unity govt with Labour

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is close to agreeing a unity government with the main Opposition leader, Israeli media said on Wednesday, in a move that could help revive peace talks with the Palestinians.

The head of the right-wing Likud has reportedly been engaged in intense negotiations with Labour Party chief Isaac Herzog in recent weeks in a bid to form a government of national unity.

Mr Herzog, whose party forms the Zionist Union along with the centrist Hatnuah, could present a possible coalition agreement to his party in the coming days, the reports said.

His entry into the government would be closely watched by the international community for its potential impact on the moribund peace process with the Palestinians.

An advocate of an independent Palestinian state, Mr Herzog has been touted as a potential foreign minister — a role currently assumed by Mr Netanyahu in a temporary capacity on top of his role as Premier.

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi on Tuesday urged Israelis and Palestinians to take historic steps to achieve peace, comments which some analysts interpreted as an attempt to boost the idea of Mr Herzog joining the government.

If a national unity government is formed Mr Netanyahu and Mr Herzog could visit Egypt to launch a new peace initiative under the auspices of the Egyptian President, the Jerusalem Post cited anonymous officials from both parties as saying.

But resistance to the coal-ition is strong within both camps and commentators stressed an agreement was far from certain.