Top Israeli newspaper Haaretz is reporting that after meeting Livny and Netanyahu the president of Israel Shimon Peres proposed Benjamin Netanyahu to form the next Israeli cabinet and be the next Prime Minister of Israel. According to the newspaper Netanyahu accepted the invitation to form the next government.
The news has already been updated in the citizen-powered Wikipedia, which writes "On 20 February 2009, Netanyahu was designated by Israeli President Shimon Peres to form the country's next government, following the results of the February 10 parliamentary elections. If Netanyahu accomplishes that task then he will once again serve as Israel's Prime Minister, succeeding Ehud Olmert."
"Netanyahu said he wants to form a national unity government with the centrist Kadima party of Tzipi Livni and with the left-wing Labor party.
"I call on Kadima chairwoman Tzipi Livni and Labor Party chairman Ehud Barak and I say to them - let's unite to secure the future of the State of Israel. I ask to meet with you first to discuss with you a broad national unity government for the good of the people and the state," Netanyahu said.
"President Shimon Peres on Friday formally invited right-wing leader Netanyahu to form the next government," reports Haaretz.
Netanyahu has served already once as the Prime Minister of Israel. Now he as six weeks to form the new government.
Livny Not Happy
JPost reports that Tzipi Livny, despite earlier assertions of possibilities of joining the new coalition, doesn't intend to join the government.
"Earlier, after emerging from a meeting with Peres, Livni announced that she had no intention of joining a broad coalition under Netanyahu, despite the Likud chairman's assertion that he was willing to "go to great lengths" in order to induce Kadima to join his government.
"It appears that the coalition which has been formed in recent days lacks diplomatic vision," Livni said after the meeting. The Kadima leader rejected the president's plea that she reconsider joining a coalition comprised of the three largest parties - Kadima, Likud and Israeli Beiteinu - and asserted that a "broad coalition is worthless if it is not governed by values."
Livni's party Kadima won one more parliamentary seat than Likud in the elections but does not have enough support to form a government on its own.
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