World Bulletin / News Desk

Israeli opposition parties have strongly criticized the new government set up this week by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu following nearly six weeks of negotiations.

Yitzak Herzog, leader of the center-left "Zionist Camp" alliance, described the new government as "weak" and "unstable."

Netanyahu's governing coalition, Herzog said on Twitter, "is a failure."

Herzog, whose Zionist Camp alliance holds the second largest number of seats in the Knesset (Israel's parliament), went on to predict that Netanyahu's government would "soon have to be replaced with a more responsible alternative."

For her part, former Justice Minister and Zionist Camp leader Tzippi Livni accused Netanyahu of pursuing his own interest in choosing the parties involved in his government.

"The main problem is the nature of this government," Livni was quoted as saying on Thursday by Israel's Channel 7 News.

"The distribution of funds to sectors [of Israeli society] and not to the Israeli people as a whole, looking not at the state of Israel, rather at survival, and basically buying the votes of so-called natural partners who can support him and ensure he stays in the job," Livni said. "It's just moving backward."

Similarly, the Yesh Atid party, which describes itself as centrist, has said Netanyahu's government represented "only certain sectors" of the Israeli people.

"Yesh Atid will spare no effort in preserving the principles of equality and rule of law," party leader Yaid Lapid was quoted as saying by Israeli public radio.

On Sunday night, Netanyahu's right-wing Likud Party hammered out a deal with the Jewish Home Party, which is even farther to the right, allowing the incumbent prime minister to form a government.

The coalition deal, which has yet to be formally announced, will help Netanyahu obtain the 61 Knesset seats necessary for forming a government coalition.

The agreement between Likud and Jewish Home was reached only hours before the expiry of a final deadline for the formation of a government.

Netanyahu's Likud won 30 seats of the 120-member Knesset in an election held in mid-March, while Jewish Home won eight seats.

Once the coalition was deal was reached, Netanyahu informed President Reuven Rivlin that he had the necessary support – 61 Knesset members – to draw up a government.

Netanyahu had earlier made agreements with the centrist Kulanu Party (ten Knesset seats), the ultra-Orthodox United Torah Judaism Party (seven seats) and the Shas Party (six seats) to join his government.

On March 26, Netanyahu was given 42 days to form a new government.