JERUSALEM, March 15 (Xinhua) -- Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's Likud-Beytenu party signed a coalition agreement with the Jewish Home party Friday, after weeks of negotiations, local media reported.
Shortly after the ink of the deal, the other major political ally, Yesh Atid, led by Yair Lapid, also signed its coalition agreement with the Likud-Beytenu party.
The signing of the agreements is made at the nick of time, as Saturday was the deadline to form a new government imposed on Netanyahu.
In the past three days, political parties have already signaled reaching final understandings but disagreements over several topics like the identity of the next Education Minister and the amount of ministers in the next government, prolonged the negotiations until the very last minute.
As part of the agreement, the Jewish Home's chief Naftali Bennet will be appointed to the "Economy and Industry" position, an upgraded version of what was formerly known as the Industry, Trade and Labor ministry.
In addition, lawmaker Uri Ariel will become the Housing Minister responsible, among others, over the construction in the West Bank settlements.
The party would also get another minister's appointment and two deputy-ministers appointment and will get to head the parliament's Finance Committee. The new government will be inaugurated in upcoming Monday.
The Likud-Beytenu party won 31 seats out of a possible 120 in the parliament in the Jan. 22 elections. Israeli President Shimon Peres appointed Netanyahu to build a new government after 80 lawmakers recommended him for the task.
The center Yesh Atid party and the far-right Jewish Home Party, both new to the Israeli politics, received 31 seats together combined in the elections.
The two parties' leaders formed an alliance, refusing to enter Netanyahu's coalition without the other and forcing Netanyahu to take out the Ultra-Orthodox from his next government in order to advance their notion of conscription of ultra-Orthodox men into the army.
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