Netanyahu Awaiting Results of US Midterm Elections Before Forming Govt

Netanyahu waves to the crown during a rally on November 2. (Reuters)
Netanyahu waves to the crown during a rally on November 2. (Reuters)
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Netanyahu Awaiting Results of US Midterm Elections Before Forming Govt

Netanyahu waves to the crown during a rally on November 2. (Reuters)
Netanyahu waves to the crown during a rally on November 2. (Reuters)

Israel's Likud party chief Benjamin Netanyahu met with the leaders of his allied right-wing and religious bloc in Jerusalem on Sunday for talks on forming the country’s next government.

However, political sources close to him said the former PM is waiting the results of Tuesday’s US midterm election before deciding on the final lineup of his cabinet.

Netanyahu believes that if the US Republican Party wins, he will have no problem forming a pure right-wing government.

However, if the Democratic Party remains dominant, the incoming PM would need a center party partner, fearing that President Joe Biden will exert pressure on his new government to respect the basic rights of Palestinians and halt settlement policies.

The sources said Netanyahu intends to retain the Ministry of Defense in order to lead future negotiations to expand his government to include Benny Gantz’s party and the United Arab List led by Knesset member Mansour Abbas.

Two of his closest associates are already competing for this portfolio, namely Avi Dichter, a former minister in one of Netanyahu’s governments and former Shin Bet director, and General Yoav Galant, former commander of the Southern Command in the army.

On Sunday, Netanyahu met heads of all the right-wing parties, except for the Jewish Power party leader Itamar Ben Gvir, who is on vacation.

The sources said Netanyahu already hinted he would not appoint Ben-Gvir as Defense Minister, upon the latter’s request, but is ready to give his ally the Public Security Ministry.

Netanyahu has pledged that negotiations to form his cabinet would not exceed more than two weeks, however, differences over ministerial positions may last for several weeks.

Last Tuesday, Netanyahu’s bloc won a total of 64 seats out of 120 in the Knesset, Israel’s parliament.

When official results are published on November 9, President Isaac Herzog will kick off consultations with every party that made it into the Knesset to determine which lawmaker to select as Prime Minister.

He is expected to give Netanyahu the nod.

Netanyahu then has 28 days for negotiations to form a government. If he needs more time, Herzog can grant him a one-time extension of 14 days.

After the incoming PM successfully forms a cabinet, he would present it to parliament for approval.



France Plans to Take Iran to Int’l Court over Citizen Detentions

French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot (R) during a North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Ministers of Foreign Affairs meeting in Brussels, Belgium, 03 April 2025.  EPA/OLIVIER HOSLET
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot (R) during a North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Ministers of Foreign Affairs meeting in Brussels, Belgium, 03 April 2025. EPA/OLIVIER HOSLET
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France Plans to Take Iran to Int’l Court over Citizen Detentions

French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot (R) during a North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Ministers of Foreign Affairs meeting in Brussels, Belgium, 03 April 2025.  EPA/OLIVIER HOSLET
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot (R) during a North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Ministers of Foreign Affairs meeting in Brussels, Belgium, 03 April 2025. EPA/OLIVIER HOSLET

Two French citizens held in Iran for almost three years have not had consular services for more than a year prompting Paris to prepare a complaint at the International Court of Justice (ICJ), France's foreign ministry said on Thursday.
Cecile Kohler and her partner Jacques Paris have been held since May 2022. Iranian state television aired a video later that year with them appearing to confess to acting on behalf of French intelligence services, something categorically denied by Paris.
Held in Tehran's Evin prison, France has accused Iran of keeping them in conditions akin to torture.
French officials have toughened their language towards Iran, notably over the advancement of its nuclear program and regional activities, but also the detention of European citizens in the country.
Speaking after a rare cabinet meeting to broadly discuss Iran on Wednesday, France's Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot indicated Paris would soon take the matter of violating the right to consular protection to the ICJ.
"We are putting together a complaint that we will file at the ICJ," Foreign ministry spokesman Christophe Lemoine told reporters at a news conference on Thursday, adding that the Kohler and Paris were being held in "shocking" conditions.
According to Reuters, Lemoine declined to say when it would be filed and acknowledged that procedures at the ICJ were long, but insisted that Tehran needed to be called out on the issue because the embassy and consulate had not had access to their citizens for more than a year.
"It's in violation of Iran's obligations," he said, citing the Vienna convention on consular relations.
In recent years, Iran's Revolutionary Guards have arrested dozens of dual nationals and foreigners, mostly on charges related to espionage and security.
Rights groups have accused Iran of trying to extract concessions from other countries through such arrests.
Iran, which does not recognize dual nationality, denies taking prisoners to gain diplomatic leverage.