Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has canceled early general elections despite earlier calls to move up the date of the vote.
In a statement on Tuesday, Israeli President Shimon Peres' office announced that the premier has canceled the early elections as he has reached an agreement with the leading opposition party, Kadima.
This is while Netanyahu on Monday called for early general elections in four months’ time to “quickly restore stability.”
Israel’s Likud Party, led by Netanyahu, had also called for the dissolution of the Knesset and an early general election to be held on September 4.
According to the agreement between the premier and Kadima, opposition leader and former Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz will serve as deputy prime minister in a new cabinet.
Mofaz, who has been a vocal critic of an Israeli attack against Iran, had accused Netanyahu of using the baseless excuse of a threat from Iran “in order to divert attention” from Israel’s “socioeconomic problems.”
The US, Israel and some of their allies have repeatedly accused Iran of pursuing military objectives in its nuclear program without offering any evidence corroborating such allegations.
Washington and Tel Aviv have time and again threatened Tehran with a military strike against its civilian nuclear facilities.
Iran argues that as a signatory to the Non-proliferation Treaty (NPT) and a member of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), it has the right to develop and acquire nuclear technology for peaceful purposes.
MYA/GHN/HJL
