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By Dan Williams
JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israeli Prime Minister-designate Benjamin&nbsp;Netanyahu&nbsp;was still&nbsp;one&nbsp;partner short of a&nbsp;coalition&nbsp;to secure a parliamentary majority on Wednesday after an ultra-Orthodox Jewish&nbsp;party&nbsp;signed up, with the deadline for forming a government looming.
The deal with United Torah Judaism (UTJ), announced late on Tuesday, promised&nbsp;Netanyahu&nbsp;control of 53 of the Knesset's 120 seats with his conservative Likud&nbsp;party. That left Shas, an ultra-Orthodox&nbsp;party&nbsp;with 11 seats, as Likud's last likely ally.
After coming ahead in a Nov. 1 election,&nbsp;Netanyahu&nbsp;was given 28 days to present a&nbsp;coalition. Commentators predicted he would do so in short order, given the strong showing of religious-nationalist parties. But negotiations have proven protracted.
The inclusion of far-rightists in the incoming government has stirred fear at home and abroad for the future of&nbsp;Israel's&nbsp;long-moribund talks with the Palestinians and fraught ties between its majority Jews and 21% Arabs citizens.
Netanyahu&nbsp;has said he will serve all Israelis but has not indicated any plan for reviving talks with Palestinians.
UTJ said in a statement on the Likud deal, which it agreed even though some details were pending, that talks needed to be extended beyond Sunday's deadline for a&nbsp;coalition&nbsp;agreement.
President Isaac Herzog can extend the mandate by 14 days.
Among issues dogging the&nbsp;coalition&nbsp;talks is a tax-fraud conviction of Shas leader Arieh Deri, a candidate for finance minister. Shas has submitted legislation that would enable Deri - who was spared jail under a plea deal - to serve in cabinet.
Netanyahu&nbsp;has yet to request an extension for&nbsp;coalition&nbsp;talks. But the centrist opposition has accused him of planning to use any extra&nbsp;time&nbsp;he might get to push the Deri-linked bill through parliament before his government is in office.
Outgoing Justice Minister Gideon Saar said on Twitter that any request for extra&nbsp;time&nbsp;would be a "ruse (to enable) the passing of personalised and problematic laws, in accordance with the demands of (coalition) partners, before the government is set up."
United Arab List (UAL), a&nbsp;party&nbsp;that draws support from&nbsp;Israel's&nbsp;Arab citizens and which was part of the outgoing&nbsp;coalition, signalled it might be willing to join&nbsp;Netanyahu.
"I'm not ruling this out," UAL leader Mansour Abbas told 103 FM radio, saying he awaited word on the new government's policies.
&nbsp;
(Writing by Dan Williamsl; Editing by Edmund Blair)
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Israel's Netanyahu needs one more party for coalition, may seek more time