Israel's prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, struck a conciliatory tone today as he was formally tapped to form a new government, vowing to heal rifts in Israeli society and fix ties with the United States following an acrimonious election campaign.
Netanyahu's comments appeared to be aimed at repairing the damage caused by comments he made in the final days of the campaign that strained ties with the United States and drew accusations of racism from the country's Arab minority.
"I will work to mend the rifts opened between different parts of society during these elections," Netanyahu said.
Seeking to shore up support among his hard-line voters in the final hours of the campaign, Netanyahu said he would not allow the establishment of a Palestinian state on his watch and warned them that Arab voters were heading to the polls "in droves."
The comments angered the US, which has made Palestinian statehood a major policy goal, and offended Israeli Arabs. His attempts at damage control, including an apology to Arab citizens of Israel, have so far been rebuffed.
Netanyahu spoke at a ceremony where the country's president, Reuven Rivlin, officially handed him the task of forming the next government.
Netanyahu's Likud Party captured 30 seats in last week's national election, making it the largest party in the 120-seat parliament. Although his party does not control a majority, party leaders controlling a total of 67 seats have recommended that Netanyahu lead the next government for what would be his third consecutive term as prime minister.
With these parties backing him, Netanyahu is all but guaranteed of forming a governing coalition. But the various partners will all be making conflicting demands for Cabinet portfolios, meaning that weeks of negotiations could lie ahead.
