Earlier on Sunday, during the weekly cabinet meeting, outgoing Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert urged Netanyahu to form a coalition government fast, calling on Knesset (parliament) factions to mount coalition negotiations as efficiently and quickly as possible.

Olmert also praised Israeli President Shimon Peres' decision to task Netanyahu with forming the new government, saying that Israel needs a strong and stable government in order to contend with the challenges it faces.

On Friday, Peres officially entrusted Netanyahu with the task of building a coalition, ten days after the parliamentary election.

Netanyahu, who was previously the 9th prime minister of Israel from June 1996 to July 1999, would then have 42 days to forge a coalition cabinet. Until the new government is formed, Olmert, who was forced to resign amid a corruption scandal, will remain in office as caretaker prime minister.

Israeli center-right Likud party leader Benjamin Netanyahu (R) meets with Israeli Foreign Minister and centrist Kadima party chairwoman Tzipi Livni for talks on forming the coalition government in Jerusalem, Feb. 22, 2009.[Yin Bogu/Xinhua]

(Xinhua News Agency February 23, 2009)