Jewish Home, National Union, New Right reportedly reach initial understandings, with Peretz or Shaked leading merged slate; New Right denies report, but adds its still early

Leader of New Right party, which tanked in April election, meets with Zehut leader Feiglin, will powwow with URWP chair, and is courting the far-right Otzma Yehudit

Candidate from slate that failed to cross Knesset threshold in April vote says faction will form new alliances if country goes to the polls again

With eight of 11 parties having presented their recommendations to Rivlin, premier wins support of 61 MKs in the 120-seat Knesset

Secularist Yisrael Beytenu leader vows to hold the line against Orthodox parties over religious issues, even at price of coalition

Parties to form 'an identical and uncompromising' alliance on matters of religion and state to combat the secularist Yisrael Beytenu, says MK Moshe Gafni

Rafi Peretz reaches out to Shas and UTJ leaders, proposing they work together in coalition talks to advance issues of religion and state where they all largely agree

When they broke from Jewish Home, Shaked and Bennett left an angry religious-Zionist faction behind -- one none too eager to back them as they hover just short of the threshold