Netanyahu pitches 'broad national government' after election, ties Haredi draft to averting civil strife

At a Hebrew-language press conference, Netanyahu said he intends to form a 'broad national government' after the election and to reach an agreement on Haredi military service, arguing public opinion converges on opposition to a Palestinian state and on avoiding civil strife over the draft. He pushed back on suggestions that police should enter hesder yeshivas to arrest students, saying such moves would only entrench refusal to serve. The remarks came as multiple polls left his right-religious bloc short of 61 seats with weeks remaining until the pre-election recess.