Israel's prime minister-designate Benjamin Netanyahu has said he would present his new government to the Knesset for a confidence vote next week. The parliamentary vote is expected to pass and would clear the way for Netanyahu to take office. He did not give an exact date for the vote. On Wednesday, Netanyahu's Likud Party signed a coalition agreement with the pro-settler Jewish Home. The party has three seats in the Knesset, which means that Netanyahu now has a majority of 69 of the 120 lawmakers in the Israeli parliament. The Jewish Home will reportedly receive the science portfolio in the new Cabinet.
Netanyahu also said that his government would be a "partner for peace" for the Palestinians: "Palestinians should understand that they have in our government a partner for peace, for security and for rapid economic development of [the] Palestinian economy; I believe that this could be done."
Meanwhile, Syria's president Bashar al-Assad has told a Lebanese newspaper that Netanyahu did not present a long-term hindrance to the ongoing peace talks between Israel and Syria. Assad claimed that Netanyahu's influence on the process would only be "tactical, rather than strategic."
