Netanyahu beats deadline, forms hard-line government

Coalition with Jewish Home party likely to bring push for settlement expansion

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu completed the formation of a new coalition late on Wednesday, putting him at the helm of a hard-line government that appears to be set on a collision course with the US and other key allies.

Netanyahu reached a deal with the nationalist Jewish Home party shortly before a midnight deadline, clinching a slim parliamentary majority and averting an embarrassing scenario that would have forced him from office.