Israel will now head to the polls again on September 17, just over five months after an April election that saw Netanyahu and his right-wing and religious allies win a majority. But as Wednesday's midnight deadline to form a coalition approached, Netanyahu was unable to convince ex-defence minister Avigdor Lieberman to abandon a key demand and join the government. He is also on track to become Israel's longest-serving prime minister in July, surpassing founding father David Ben-Gurion -- and he is no doubt aware of the weighty milestone. Lieberman wants legislation he supports aimed at having ultra-Orthodox Jews perform mandatory military service, like other Jewish Israelis, to be approved without changes. While the prime minister and Likud members blamed Lieberman, others pointed to Netanyahu's legal troubles as an obstacle.

Source: Bangkok Post May 30, 2019 10:41 UTC