Netanyahu’s opponents race to finalise coalition govt ahead of midnight deadline

Ahead of the midnight deadline, opponents of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu are trying to form a ruling coalition to unseat the country's longest-serving premier.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s opponents on Wednesday were racing to finalize a coalition government to end his 12-year rule — the longest by any Israeli premier — ahead of a midnight deadline. Centrist Yair Lapid and ultranationalist Naftali Bennett have joined forces and agreed to rotate the premiership between them, with Bennett going first, but are still working to cobble together a ruling coalition that would include parties from across the political spectrum. Israeli media reported that there are some lingering disagreements over lower-level political appointments but that Lapid was likely to announce an agreement sometime Wednesday.