JERUSALEM — The surprise unity government announced Tuesday by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has many observers predicting that the reformed coalition will embark on a more moderate path, from reopening a dialogue with Palestinians to softening rhetoric on attacking Iran.
The addition of the centrist Kadima Party to what has been called one of Israel’s most right-wing coalition governments gives Netanyahu a comfortable 78 percent majority in parliament, lessening the political clout of smaller right-wing parties and factions.
Those parties, including Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman’s nationalist Yisrael Beitinu and the ultra-Orthodox Shas, have dominated the government agenda for the past three years, including pushing to expand West Bank settlements, fighting efforts to demolish unauthorized outposts and passing laws that Arab Israelis say restrict their civil rights.
Some observers predict that the hastily arranged deal will give Netanyahu the political breathing space he needs to push for more moderate policies.
“This gives Netanyahu more liberty,” said Zalman Shoval, a foreign policy adviser for the prime minister’s Likud Party and former ambassador to the U.S. “He’s basically a centrist.”
At a news conference Tuesday, Netanyahu said the new coalition will enable him to tackle the country’s pressing issues, including pursuing a “responsible peace process.” Kadima chairman Shaul Mofaz vowed to “change the agenda.”
Mofaz, who for weeks blasted Netanyahu’s leadership and repeatedly swore he would not join the government, defended the deal Tuesday. He said joining the government will give him a platform to push for renewed Palestinian peace talks and a law drafting ultra-Orthodox young people into the army, something religious parties oppose but that is popular among Israeli voters.
Mofaz also may put the brakes on Netanyahu’s public threats to attack Iran’s purported nuclear arms program. In recent interviews, he said the U.S. should lead any military strike and criticized the prime minister for “inflating” the immediate threat posed by Iran.
