Israel’s Netanyahu forms governing coalition

Thousands of Israeli protesters rally outside Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's residence in Jerusalem, days ahead of a general election that could see the long-standing leader removed from power.

The 39th weekly protest against Israeli PM Netanyahu's alleged corruption and handling of the COVID-19 pandemic saw thousands gather in Jerusalem with only three days left for the parliamentary elections.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu praises a "tremendous achievement" as his party is on track to win the most seats in Israel's election - the fourth in less than two years - but he is not guaranteed to secure a majority.

Despite giving Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu the opportunity to form a government, Israel's president said "no candidate has a realistic chance" after the country's latest inconclusive election.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says a stampede that killed at least 44 people at a Jewish pilgrimage site was one of the "worst" disasters in Israel's history. The nighttime disaster struck after pilgrims thronged to Meron at the site of the reputed tomb of Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai, a second-century Talmudic sage, where mainly ultra-Orthodox Jews mark the Lag BaOmer holiday.

The prime minister could now have to take his Likud party into opposition for the first time in 12 years.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warns Hamas and Islamic Jihad, that they pay a "heavy price" for firing rockets from Gaza into Israel. Hamas Islamists said they had fired 130 rockets towards Tel Aviv on Tuesday, unleashing a massive barrage on Israel's economic hub, in retaliation for an Israeli strike on a 12-storey tower near Gaza's coast.

US President Joe Biden says that Israel has a right to defend itself, but after speaking with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu he hopes violent clashes with Palestinians will end "sooner than later." He adds that his national security staff has also spoken with the Egyptians, Saudis and Emiratis.

Ahead of the national elections, Germany's ruling parties are at loggerheads on whistleblower protections. The matter is urgent as a December deadline is fast approaching for all countries in the EU to pass legislation.

Israeli papers weigh in on Benjamin Netanyahu's resistance to growing calls for de-escalation in Gaza. We also take a look at a Washington Post editorial opposing the idea of offering people in the US money or other incentives in order to get vaccinated against Covid-19. We finish with the Guardian telling us about an unorthodox and smelly tourist attraction in San Francisco.

Naftali Bennett took a major step toward ending the 12-year rule of Benjamin Netanyahu, announcing that he would try to form a unity government with his opponents.

Centrist Yair Lapid and nationalist Naftali Bennett were moving closer toward unseating Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, if they can pull a disparate set of coalition partners together.