The coalition deal, negotiated secretly over the past days and sealed at a private meeting overnight, means the centrist Kadima party will hook up with Netanyahu's rightist coalition, creating a wide majority of 94 of parliament's 120 legislators.
The coalition, which replaces plans announced just two days earlier for a snap election in September, will be one of the biggest in Israeli history.
"This government is good for security, good for the economy and good for the people of Israel," Netanyahu told a joint news conference with Kadima's leader, Shaul Mofaz.
The new coalition would focus on sharing out the duty of military conscription among all Israelis, redrawing the national budget and advancing electoral reform, he said.
Ultra-Orthodox parties in the coalition had opposed plans to extend conscription to their supporters, who are now exempt. » | Allyn Fisher-Ilan | JERUSALEM | Tuesday, May 08, 2012
