Jerusalem - New Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu
formally took office Wednesday, with his predecessor and the
country's president urging him to continue the peace process with the
Palestinians.
'There is no other path for the state of Israel, other than
striving for peace,' outgoing premier Ehud Olmert told Netanyahu
during the official handover ceremony in Jerusalem.
'I am ending my task with a sense of pride and satisfaction,' an
at times visibly emotional Olmert, ending a 35-year political career,
said.
'But one thing I didn't get to do. I didn't get to realize my
dream of arriving at real peace with our neighbours,' he added.
President Shimon Peres, who hosted the red-carpet ceremony at his
official residence, urged the Netanyahu government to adopt, as had
the previous government, 'the vision of two states for two peoples,
which the American administration initiated and which was accepted
by the majority of countries of the world.'
'It is up to your government to determine the shape of the coming
reality,' Peres told Netanyahu.
The president also mentioned the so-called Arab peace
initiative, which speaks of recognition of the Jewish state in
return for a full Israeli withdrawal from the occupied Palestinian
territories.
'I do not know of any substitute for comprehensive regional peace,
and this peace will also allow us to cope with any Iranian threat to
take over the region, which is mainly Arab,' he said.
The election of Netanyahu, leader of the hawkish Likud party, has
raised fears that Israel will now adopt a harder line in talks with
the Palestinians, or not follow up on previous negotiations, such as
the Annapolis process, which the Olmert government accepted and
which led to ongoing Israel-Palestinian peace talks.
Netanyahu, introducing his government to the Knesset Tuesday
evening, said Israel wanted a 'comprehensive peace' with the Arab
and Muslim world, but made no mention of a Palestinian state
alongside Israel, the intended end result of the Annapolis process.
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, reacting to the new
government Tuesday, said it 'should recognize international
resolutions and signed agreements and should accept the two-state
solution so that we can resume talks with it.'
Netanyahu and his government were sworn in late Tuesday, after 69
of the Knesset's 120 lawmakers voted confidence in it. Another 45
voted against, while the remaining six abstained, including five
Labour Party members who vehemently opposed their leader Ehud Barak's
decision to join the Netanyahu coalition.
An Arab-Israeli legislator, Ahmed Tibi, also stayed away from the
swearing-in as a protest against the right-leaning government.
After Wednesday's hour-long hand-over ceremony, the
new cabinet, the 32nd in Israel's 60-year history, posed for its
traditional photograph with the president, whose duties are largely
ceremonial but who is the official head of state.
After the ceremony at the president's residence transfers of power
took place in other ministries.
The Netanyahu government, with as many as 30 ministers and nine
deputies, is the largest and most expensive in Israeli history.
Sworn in seven weeks after elections, it is the result of lengthy
coalition negotiations, with Netanyahu, 59, making every effort to
avoid a narrow right-wing government. He succeeded last week in
convincing the Labour Party to join, when its convention voted in
favour despite strong opposition within the party caucus.
Apart from Labour, the coalition includes only hardline,
ultra-nationalist and ultra-Orthodox religious factions.
The last faction to join did so only on Wednesday morning. The
deal with the five-seat, ultra-Orthodox United Torah Judaism party
was signed after last-minute differences were resolved, and brings to
74 the number of legislators who support the government.
But it is unclear whether the five Labour Party legislators, who
demonstratively refused to support the government in Tuesday night's
confidence motion, will support the coalition in every vote.
Plagued by corruption allegations, Olmert resigned from the
premiership in September, becoming a transitional premier and paving
the way for early elections, held February 10, a year ahead of
schedule.
Looking back at his premiership, he said: 'I've made mistakes. I
am not ashamed to say that. I am sorry for them.'
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