Netanyahu's enlarged coalition set for approval Monday

The latest version of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's right-wing coalition was to be approved by the cabinet Monday after weathering its first storm, Netanyahu's Likud party said.

One of his coalition partners had threatened to block the planned expansion of the alliance by voting against it in parliament, possibly sparking fresh elections, unless demands for procedural reform were met.

But a compromise between Netanyahu and his rival, Jewish Home party leader Naftali Bennett, was reached late Sunday, a Likud statement said.

"The coalition crisis is over and the cabinet will convene tomorrow (Monday) morning to approve the appointment of the ministers," it said on Sunday night.

"The swearing in of the ministers in the Knesset (parliament) will apparently take place tomorrow (Monday) afternoon."

The religious nationalist Jewish Home holds eight seats, enough to block Netanyahu's proposed new line-up.

The expanded coalition was agreed to on Wednesday when Netanyahu controversially joined forces with ultra-nationalist Avigdor Lieberman, who is set to become defence minister.

If approved by parliament as expected, the deal would form what is seen as the most right-wing government in Israel's history.

Jewish Home had demanded the creation of a military liaison for the government's security cabinet, a smaller forum of cabinet members which decides on matters of national security.

Bennett says such a post is needed to avoid security cabinet members being kept in the dark on important developments, pointing to aspects of the 2014 conflict with Palestinian militants in Gaza, among other concerns.

Under the compromise brokered by Health Minister Yaakov Litzman, of the United Torah Judaism alliance of ultra-Orthodox parties, security cabinet members will receive frequent personal briefings from Israel's National Security Council as an interim measure, while a committee of experts looks at ways to improve procedure.

While some analysts say such a change is needed, Bennett's demand is also seen as political manoeuvring ahead of the next elections, due by 2019 at the latest.

Bennett is widely seen as aspiring to replace Netanyahu, whose Likud party is currently the largest in parliament.

Lieberman and his Yisrael Beitenu party will add five lawmakers to Netanyahu's previous razor-thin majority, giving it 66 of the 120 in parliament.

The move to hand the defence ministry to the 57-year-old hardliner has sparked deep concern among Israeli centrist and left-wing politicians, as well as among some of Netanyahu's Likud colleagues.

Source: AFP