Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to form “the widest possible national unity government” and to stop Iran from building nuclear arms after being chosen by President Shimon Peres to form the next government.
At a formal ceremony at the President’s Residence, he called on Israeli political leaders to join him to “ensure the unity, future and security of the state of Israel.”
“First we must maintain security, and the first task is to stop Iran from arming itself with nuclear weapons, » he said.
"We will also have to deal with other lethal weapons which are building up in our area and with threats against our cities and our citizens," he added.
"We must continue to strengthen the Israeli economy. The next government which I will form will be committed to peace. I call upon Abu Mazen to return to the negotiating table," he said.
Netanyahu also said he would try to heal many of Israel’s internal divides — on equality of military service, on easing economic burdens, and on electoral reform — “without tearing the nation apart.”
Netanyahu, noting that he would be starting his third term as Prime Minister — having held the post from 1996-99 as well as in the last four years — thanked the public and the MKs who backed him “for the faith you have placed in me” and said he saw the job as a privilege and an honor.
He said Israel had weathered the global financial crisis in large part because of the stable government he headed these past four years, but that the economic and security challenges in the region were actually becoming more grave. “The dangers facing Israel were the worst it had faced for many years,” he said.
Netanyahu’s Likud-Beitenu list won 31 seats in the 120-seat Knesset, Israel’s parliament, in January 22 elections, while the new centrist party Yesh Atid led by Yair Lapid was second with 19 seats.
The Prime Minister has 28 days to form a government and can ask for an additional two weeks if he fails to put a coalition together in that time period
“I hope that the work will be concluded quickly,” President Peres said at the press conference. “Israel needs diplomatic and economic stability so that the government can make the necessary decisions which are on the agenda. The challenges are many, serious and urgent.”
The President, who started consultations with the political parties elected in the 19th Knesset immediately after receiving the official elections results, said the parties representatives raised "important issues" including the national deficit, social justice, the fight against discrimination, equitable sharing of the national burden, conscription to the IDF, restarting diplomatic negotiations to achieve peace and ways to deal with the security threats facing Israel.
Netanyahu, who was recommended as Prime Minister by 82 of the 120 incoming Knesset members, also pledged to try to heal many of Israel’s internal divides — on equality of military service, on easing economic burdens, and on electoral reform — “without tearing the nation apart.”
Netanyahu, noting that he would be starting his third term as prime minister — having held the post from 1996-99 as well as in the last four years — thanked the public and the MKs who backed him “for the faith you have placed in me” and said he saw the job as a privilege and an honor.
He said Israel had weathered the global financial crisis in large part because of the stable government he headed these past four years, but that the economic and security challenges in the region were actually becoming more grave. "The dangers facing Israel were the worst it had faced for many years," he said.
On Sunday, he told a meeting of the outgoing cabinet that the "supreme mission" of a national unity government "is stopping Iran from arming itself with nuclear weapons." "This is all the more complicated because Iran has equipped itself with new centrifuges that shorten the enrichment time. We cannot countenance this process."
"Additionally, there are three tasks that we will need to deal with in the first year: the first is to enact a responsible budget and the reforms that will allow us to lower the cost of living. The second task is to significantly increase equality in sharing the burden without causing a rift in the nation. The third mission is to move forward on a responsible and realistic diplomatic process."
He expressed the need to deal with the three tasks "all at the same time". "It is possible only with a broad national unity government. Our goal is to unite the nation around these tasks and not divide it. Only as broad a union of forces as possible will enable us to meet these tasks and to ensure the future of the State of Israel," he added.