Netanyahu open to 'broad' government formation after election setback, but rules out Arab parties

Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday said he was open to forming a “broad national government” under his leadership, even as his Likud party sought to delay the official certification of last week's election results over allegations of foreign interference.Netanyahu, however, indicated that any such arrangement would not mean dropping the far-right and ultra-Orthodox parties that were part of his outgoing coalition. The remarks marked a shift from his earlier position, when he had vowed to form a “strong, national, right-wing coalition” following the October 27 vote.“From the very first day, our hand has been extended to form a broad national government,” Netanyahu said in a post on X, adding that he wanted to lead the next government.