33m ago18.59Â BST
Some analysis from Bethan McKernan in Jerusalem on the deal between Netanyahu and Ben Gvir:
Israel’s extremist national security minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir, backtracked on threats to resign ahead of an announcement from the prime minister, Netanyahu, that he was pausing legislation aimed at curbing the power of the country’s supreme court. In exchange, a statement from his Jewish Power party said that Netanyahu had agreed on the formation of a civil “national guard”, to be placed under his control.
On the surface, this deal sounds - to put it mildly - strange. Ben-Gvir is already in charge of Israel’s police. But Ben-Gvir has long campaigned for more gun permits for Israelis, and the threat of Palestinian attacks against Israelis is his party’s raison d’etre.
Some Israeli commentators said that the agreement amounts to giving Ben-Gvir a private militia. But in a country where reservist military service is already commonplace, it is unclear where the personnel for a national guard will come from - not to mention the funding. Also on Monday, the Knesset passed a state budget for 2023-2024, which does not factor in this latest development.
Netanyahu appears to be playing for time after nearly 24 hours of fractious negotiations with his far-right partners. The issue will not be revisited for another month, and that’s a very long time in Israeli politics.
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