Netanyahu seeks ruling partnership with Labour

Israel’s hardline prime minister designate, Benjamin Netanyahu will meet the head of the dovish Labour Party today after failing to tempt centrist leader Tzipi Livni into a broad, moderate, coalition government.

Reluctant to rely for support on ultra-nationalists to his right, Mr Netanyahu has appealed to Ms Livni and Labour leader Ehud Barak to join him as partners in government – but both have said they would rather go into opposition.

After a late-night meeting last night Ms Livni said she and Mr Netanyahu were still at odds over efforts to make peace with the Palestinians.

“We didn’t reach any agreement. There are deep disagreements on this issue,” she said.

But Mr Netanyahu said he and Ms Livni found many points of agreement and their disagreement could be “overcome with goodwill.” He did not give details of the meeting.

“If we want to find what unites us, it is possible and it is necessary at times like these,” he said.

Both said they agreed to meet again soon.

Mr Netanyahu, of the Likud party, is expected to make Ms Livni’s Kadima party a generous offer that includes allowing her to remain as foreign minister.

Bringing in Ms Livni would reduce international pressure on Israel and help stabilise Mr Netanyahu’s government. If he fails, he will have to turn to a narrow coalition with hardliners that could halt peace talks with Palestinians and harm Israel’s ties with the administration of US president Barack Obama, which has promised to make pursuing Middle East peace a priority.

While Ms Livni supports the formation of a Palestinian state alongside Israel, Mr Netanyahu has championed an “economic peace” with the Palestinians as an alternative and supported West Bank settlement expansion that has angered Palestinian leaders.

Speaking to Kadima MPs yesterday, Ms Livni seemed eager to assume the role of opposition leader.

“The choice is between hope and despair, between promoting and implementing the vision of two states for two peoples and between a lack of direction in that field,” she said, adding that if Kadima compromised its platform to join the government it would be “betraying the trust of the public”.

In the February 10 general election Kadima won 28 seats in the 120-seat parliament – just one more than Likud. However, President Shimon Peres has appointed Netanyahu to form the next government because he has the support of a majority of the elected MPs. Mr Netanyahu, a former prime minister, has six weeks to do so.

Ms Livni has said she will join only if Mr Netanyahu agrees to a “rotation” arrangement whereby each would serve as prime minister for half of the government’s four-year term. Mr Netanyahu rejects the proposal.

After Mr Peres appointed Mr Netanyahu to construct the next government, Ms Livni said she would refuse to serve as a “fig leaf for a government of paralysis” that did not promote peace.

Ehud Olmert, Israel’s outgoing prime minister, continues in a caretaker role until Mr Netanyahu can form a new ruling coalition.