JERUSALEM — Israeli President Shimon Peres invited Benjamin Netanyahu to form the next government.

After hearing from Peres Friday, Netanyahu, who leads the Likud
Party, immediately invited Tzipi Livni, the leader of the Kadima Party,
and Ehud Barak, the leader of the Labor Party, to form a national unity
government.

Such a government would help Netanyahu hew to a centrist foreign
policy and sustain peace negotiations with the Palestinians and the
Syrians.

Barak and Livni have said they favor going into the opposition.

Kadima scored the most seats, 28, in the Feb. 10 elections, but
Netanyahu has the backing of enough right-wing parties to surpass the
60 seat mark and create a governing coalition.