Israel

Netanyahu to offer cabinet posts to Livni

Article published on the 2009-02-22 Latest update 2009-02-22 12:30 TU

Benjamin Netanyahu
(Photo: AFP)

Benjamin Netanyahu will try to entice Kadima leader Tzipi Livni to join his government by offering several high-profile cabinet posts, the Israeli press reported Sunday. Despite his reputation as a hawk, the Likud Party leader says he will try to form a centrist union government instead of a right-wing coalition.

"Aware of the enormous challenges faced by the country, there is no doubt that forming a union should be our foremost goal," Netanyahu told reporters ahead of his meeting with Livni scheduled Sunday evening.

With the recent administration change in the United States, and President Barack Obama’s stated intention to aggressively pursue peace talks, Netanyahu prefers a coalition that doesn’t depend on extreme right-wing parties, unlikely to support such a process.

"I expect a coalition government that will cooperate with the Obama administration," said Netanyahu, who was tasked with forming a government despite his Likud party coming second in the February 10 election.

According to local media reports, Netanyahu is planning to offer Livni posts such as the foreign and defence portfolios, as well as the same number of cabinet seats as his own party.

Livni says she wants a power-sharing rotation with Netanyahu in which each of them would hold the premiership for two years. This was the case in 1984 when Yitzhak Shamir and Shimon Peres traded-off after a similarly tight election result.