Likud forming unity government with Kadima

Since we've got Iran to worry about, this surprise turn of events is actually a very good thing:

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and opposition leader Shaul Mofaz approved a last-minute deal overnight Monday to form a national unity government that would postpone early elections.

The Likud and Kadima factions began emergency meetings after 2:00 a.m. to discuss developments, eventually approving the deal that will bring Netanyahu's government more political stability.

"We got important things," a Mofaz associate said. "If we wanted portfolios, we would have gotten them."

The deal passed unanimously in the Kadima faction.

Netanyahu - who arrived at the Likud meeting along with his former chief of staff Natan Eshel - told the Likud faction that contact with Mofaz over forming a unity government began a few days ago and bore fruit. Eshel apparently played a role in brokering the deal.

The agreement stipulates that Kadima will not topple the government until the official end of its term on October 22, 2013. Mofaz - who replaced Tzipi Livni just last month as the Kadima party head - will also become vice premier, and will fill in for the prime minister when he is abroad. Kadima's inclusion will bring the coalition to 94 seats.

Coming after Livni resigned from the Knesset, the time for their joining couldn't be better. Without her, the Likud are guaranteed a much better coalition partner. And with Iran threatening the middle east and the rest of the globe, that's why a wider coalition is a must.