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It appeared last night that coalition talks had reached a successful conclusion, with a new Israeli government expected to be announced today.

The negotiations had seemed stalled over disputes between Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud-Beitenu faction and Yair Lapid’s Yesh Atid regarding the education and interior ministerial portfolios. However, Jewish Home leader Naftali Bennett appeared to mediate successfully between the two after Likud released a statement warning that negotiations would begin with the ultra-Orthodox parties unless an agreement was imminently reached with Yesh Atid.

It appeared last night that such an accord had been agreed. Israel Hayom says that the new government will be comprised of twenty one ministers, while Jerusalem Post puts the number at twenty. Either composition represents a smaller government than before, a key demand made by Lapid. It appears that Yesh Atid also succeeded in securing the much fought over education ministry, with Shai Peron expected to become the new Education Minister. Likud’s outgoing Education Minister, Gideon Sa’ar, is likely to be appointed as the Interior Minister.

Other key appointments include Lapid himself as Finance Minister and fellow Yesh Atid MKs Meir Cohen and Yael German as Welfare and Health Ministers respectively. Naftali Bennett is set to oversee three ministerial portfolios including Economy and Trade. Jewish Home’s Uri Ariel is expected to become Housing Minister while the party will take the chairmanship of the influential Knesset Finance Committee.

Senior Likud figure and former IDF Chief of Staff Moshe Ya’alon will become Defence Minister, although there is expected to be fierce competition for the other ministerial portfolios allocated to Likud. Tzipi Livni will become Justice Minister and number two in her Hatnuah Party Amir Peretz looks set to become Minister for Environmental Protection. However, there appears to be no place for Kadima in the new government.