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Key Endorsement All but Guarantees Netanyahu as Israeli Prime Minister

Thursday, February 19, 2009


JERUSALEM — Benjamin Netanyahu won the endorsement Thursday of an anti-Arab politician who emerged from Israel's election as a kingmaker, virtually ensuring that the hawkish, U.S.-educated politician will once again become prime minister.

The big question is whether Netanyahu will be able to build the broad coalition he will likely need to stay in power and avoid clashing with the Obama administration and much of the world.

With his top rival, centrist Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni, signaling that she would enter the opposition, Netanyahu's prospects for such a coalition do not look good. He will probably have little choice but to forge a coalition with nationalist and religious parties opposed to peacemaking with the Palestinians and Israel's other Arab neighbors.

One major Orthodox Jewish party, Shas, also threw its support to Netanyahu, joining a group of similar movements that did the same.

"Today the foundations were laid for an extremist right-wing government under the leadership of Netanyahu," Livni said in a text message to 80,000 members of her Kadima Party. "That is not our way and there is nothing for us in such a government... We must be an alternative of hope and go into opposition."

If Livni stays out of Netanyahu's government, it would almost surely hurt Netanyahu's credibility with the United States and Europe. And his hold on power would be more tenuous in a narrow coalition of rightists, with hard-line allies threatening to bring down his government in the face of any concession for peace.

Livni seeks a negotiated settlement with the Palestinians, a position supported by the Obama administration, while Netanyahu's partner on the right, Avigdor Lieberman, has drawn opprobrium with his call for Israel's 1 million Arabs to swear allegiance to the Jewish state or lose their citizenship.

Israel's ceremonial president, Shimon Peres, held talks with political parties before choosing a candidate to form a government. Peres is scheduled to meet separately Friday with Netanyahu and Livni, and is likely to make his choice over the weekend, the daily newspaper Haaretz reported. If he names Netanyahu, as seems likely, then Netanyahu will have six weeks to create a coalition.

Israeli Army Radio reported Thursday night that if tasked by Peres, Netanyahu would immediately invite Livni and Labor leader Ehud Barak to join him in government.

"In light of the great challenges which Israel faces — Iran, terrorism, the economic crisis and job losses — a national unity government is the order of the hour," the station's Web site quoted him as saying.

Netanyahu aides could not be reached for comment.

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