The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) congratulated Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu for forming a coalition government on Saturday, after a last-minute rush to sign deals with Shas and Jewish Home before last week's deadline.
"We congratulate Prime Minister Netanyahu and his new government," Barry Curtiss-Lusher, ADL National Chair, and Abraham H. Foxman, ADL National Director, said Saturday in a joint statement. "Israel’s democratic process is lively and unpredictable, as we saw in a turbulent campaign, a competitive election, and a strenuous coalition-building process."
"While there has been much speculation about the policies and the approach of this new governing coalition, we expect this government to continue to work tirelessly to ensure the security and well-being of the State of Israel, uphold Israel’s founding principles as a Jewish and democratic nation, and seek to enhance relations with the international community, the Arab world, and address the challenge of finding solutions to the conflict with the Palestinians," they added.
After all-night talks on the remaining details, Likud and Jewish Home signed a final coalition deal on Thursday morning.
But speculation persists that Netanyahu may seek to expand his coalition further by including the leftist Zionist Union party - a move which could prompt the Jewish Home to bolt the coalition.