Netanyahu Takes Over

JERUSALEM -- Benjamin Netanyahu, leader of Israel's conservative Likud Party, was sworn in as prime minister on Tuesday after Parliament voted to approve his government.
He will lead a coalition government that could make decision-making difficult. It is the biggest government in Israeli history in terms of the number of ministers, and one that combines many parties with conflicting ideologies.
After nearly two months of grinding negotiations, Mr. Netanyahu has a healthy majority of 74 seats in Israel's 120-seat Parliament, though five Labor Party lawmakers remain opposed to the government and abstained from Tuesday night's vote.
The parties in the coalition have very different views on the economy, religious-secular issues and the peace process. That could make it difficult for Mr. Netanyahu to confront the largest problems facing Israel without destabilizing his coalition.
On Tuesday, he struck a conciliatory note, saying he had worked to "establish a government that would unite all the central forces in the country."
"We do not want to rule another people and not the Palestinians," Mr. Netanyahu said. "In the final agreement there will be in the Palestinians' hands all of the authority to rule themselves.... We will progress realistically, in a positive spirit with true intentions to end the conflict."
But many coalition allies, including Mr. Netanyahu himself, say they oppose the establishment of a Palestinian state.
With many competing ideologies in his government, Mr. Netanyahu's governing guidelines are short on specifics. His first priorities are Iran and a growing economic crisis. He also must respond to growing calls, from Washington and elsewhere, to advance the peace process with the Palestinians.
In recent weeks, he has stressed his commitment to the peace process and emphasized Iran as Israel's chief threat, a platform on which he hopes he can find common cause with the Obama administration.
"The greatest danger to mankind and to the State of Israel is that a radical regime will be armed with nuclear weapons," he told Parliament Tuesday, before being sworn in.
To recruit allies and keep his party on board, Mr. Netanyahu created new ministries, splitting existing ones and appointing a number of ministers without portfolio. He promised millions of dollars in social-welfare spending tailored to each party's constituency.
Opposition lawmakers say the government's size is fiscally irresponsible and the coalition is too diverse to succeed. "This government is about political survival only and can't tackle any of the big issues facing Israel, because if it does it will fall," said Yohanan Plesner, a lawmaker from the opposition Kadima Party.
But the distribution of coveted cabinet seats -- which bring status, a say in decision-making, and control over budgets -- could mean parties are less likely to leave the government if Mr. Netanyahu pursues policies they oppose.