Benjamin Netanyahu's hawkish Likud party opened talks today with right-wing parties on forming Israel's next government after he failed in initial efforts to enlist his main centrist rival in a broad coalition.
Mr Netanyahu, who has said he wants to shift the focus of Palestinian statehood talks from territorial to economic issues, was chosen on Friday by President Shimon Peres to try to form a government and become prime minister for the second time.
Likud negotiators met officials of the ultranationalist Yisrael Beiteinu party of Avigdor Lieberman and other right-wing factions later near Tel Aviv on terms for political partnership in a governing coalition.
A spokeswoman for Mr Lieberman said he would push to secure either the defence, finance or foreign affairs portfolio for himself. She said the party also wants the justice and internal security portfolios.
Yisrael Beiteinu, which came in third after the centrist Kadima party and the Likud in a February 10th election, opposes Israeli withdrawal from the occupied West Bank.
It advocates trading land in Israel where Arab citizens live for Jewish settlements in the West Bank in any peace deal with Palestinians and calls for all Israelis to take an oath of loyalty to the Jewish state.
A narrow right-wing government and a prominent role for Mr Lieberman could put Mr Netanyahu on a collision course with Washington, where the Obama administration has pledged swift pursuit of an Israeli-Palestinian peace deal.
Likud spokeswoman Dina Libster denied Israeli media reports that Mr Netanyahu had ruled out appointing Mr Lieberman as defence minister and would offer him either the finance or foreign affairs portfolios.
Amid the Israeli coalition-building, Hillary Clinton will make her first visit to Israel and the West Bank as US secretary of state next week, Israeli officials said.
President Barack Obama's Middle East envoy, George Mitchell, was due to precede her on Thursday.
Reuters