Israel`s Peres To Seek Likud-Kadima Government

Both laid claim to the premiership after Kadima won 28 seats in the 120-member parliament to Likud`s 27 in an inconclusive Feb. 10 election.

Israeli President Shimon Peres met separately with rightist Likud leader Benjamin Netanyahu and centrist Kadima head Tzipi Livni on Friday to try persuade them to form a unity government, a presidential spokeswoman said.

Both laid claim to the premiership after Kadima won 28 seats in the 120-member parliament to Likud's 27 in an inconclusive Feb. 10 election.

Israeli media reported that Peres would ask Netanyahu as early as Sunday to form a coalition government if the Likud leader and Livni fail to agree on a power-sharing formula.

A strong showing for right-wing parties in parliament put Netanyahu in a better position to form a government. But the Likud leader has said he prefers a governing coalition with centrist Kadima and the left-leaning Labour Party.

Both those parties have said they would prefer to be in opposition than be in a ruling coalition with Likud. This would leave Netanyahu no choice but to reach out to nationalist and Jewish religious parties to form a government.

But in remarks published on Friday in the Haaretz newspaper, Livni said she would consider forming a government with Likud and ultra-nationalist Yisrael Beiteinu, whose leader Avigdor Lieberman emerged as a kingmaker in the election.

Some 65 legislators from the right-wing bloc, including 15 from Yisrael Beiteinu, recommended Netanyahu for the premiership during consultations with Peres on Thursday.

Kadima wants a rotating premiership with Likud that would grant Livni and Netanyahu a two-year stint each as premier. Likud insist that any unity government should be headed by Netanyahu given the majority rightist bloc in parliament.

The Maariv daily quoted Likud officials as saying that Netanyahu would seek to persuade Livni to join a Likud-led government if Peres asked him to form a coalition.

Netanyahu served as prime minister from 1996 to 1999. During his term he handed over part of the West Bank city of Hebron to the Palestinians.

NARROW COALITION

A right-wing government with right-wing and Jewish religious parties would tie Netanyahu's hands on the economy, foreign affairs and stalled peace talks with the Palestinians.

Yisrael Beiteinu said they were seeking a broad coalition out of concern that creation of a narrow, rightist government could lead to friction with the Obama administration, which has pledged to pursue Palestinian statehood.

Kadima has said it would be willing to relinquish parts of the occupied West Bank in exchange for peace, a position that would put it in conflict with Yisrael Beiteinu and Likud.

Netanyahu wants to focus on boosting the economy in the occupied West Bank instead of tackling thorny issues such as the future of Jerusalem and the fate of Palestinian refugees.

Yisrael Beiteinu has angered Israel's Arab citizens by proposing a law under which Israelis would have to pledge allegiance to the Jewish state as a condition for voting or holding office.

The party also wants to trade land inside Israel, in which many of the country's 1.5 million Arabs live, for Jewish West Bank settlements in any peace deal with the Palestinians.

Under Israeli law, the legislator designated by Peres to try to form a government has 42 days to complete the task. Traditionally, after an election, past presidents have picked the leader of the party that won the most votes, but there is no legal obligation to do so.