Benjamin Netanyahu (pictured right), leader of Israel’s rightwing Likud party, called on Friday for a unity coalition with his more left-leaning rivals after he was appointed by the president to become the next prime minister.

Mr Netanyahu, speaking after being chosen to form a governing coalition, urged Tzipi Livni, leader of the centrist Kadima party, and Ehud Barak, head of the left-of-centre Labour movement, to join forces with Likud, “for the good of the people and the state”.

Mr Netanyahu now has six weeks to put together a new government.

The appointment of Mr Netanyahu, who served as prime minister from 1996 to 1999, comes 10 days after Israel’s inconclusive parliamentary elections. The Likud party garnered 27 seats of the 120-seat parliament in the vote, one fewer than Kadima.

Both Mr Netanyahu and Ms Livni laid claim to the premiership following the ballot. However, the new parliament’s hawkish majority assured Mr Netanyahu a better chance of forming a coalition. Shimon Peres (pictured left), Israel’s president, said on Friday he had called on Mr Netanyahu because of his stronger support in parliament.

Although traditionally the head of the biggest parliamentary faction is chosen to lead a government, Israeli law calls for the president to hand the task to the party leader best placed to form a coalition.

On Thursday, Mr Netanyahu became the likelier candidate after he won the endorsement of the ultra­nationalist Yisrael Beiteinu party. Led by Avigdor Lieberman, Yisrael Beiteinu became the third largest political party in the elections after winning 15 seats. Mr Netanyahu has drawn the support of factions – all nationalist or religious – including Yisrael Beiteinu that together with the Likud account for a narrow, 65-member majority in ­parliament.

However, Mr Netanyahu wants to forge a broad coalition in an attempt to avoid a hardline government that many fear would stall Middle East peace efforts.

Chances for allying with Kadima or Labour appeared slim on Friday. Ms Livni, who is also foreign minister, indicated she stood by her statement earlier this week on opting to lead the opposition rather than join a Likud-led government. Such a coalition, she said, “won’t allow me to pursue my path, the path of Kadima as we promised the voters”. Asked if she was prepared to join the opposition, she said: “If necessary, certainly.”

Ms Livni favours continuing peace talks with the Palestinians and advocates that Israel withdraw from most of the occupied West Bank for the establishment of a Palestinian state. Mr Netanyahu has dismissed the negotiations as fruitless, opposes territorial concessions and instead has called for improving economic conditions in the West Bank and institutions for Palestinians.

Mr Barak, Labour leader and Israeli defence minister, said last week that the once-dominant party would opt to join the opposition, to rehabilitate itself after losing a third of its seats.