Prime Minister Netanayhu at his weekly cabinet meeting. Photo: Screenshot.

At his his weekly cabinet meeting Sunday Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addressed the formation of a new government, with which he was tasked Saturday by Israel’s president, Shimon Peres.

“I called upon the Knesset factions to join me in as broad a national unity government as possible that would unite the public at a decisive time in our history,” he said.

Netanyahu stressed that whatever the makeup of the government, it would have as its major focus stopping Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons.

“The supreme mission that a national unity government will face is stopping Iran from arming itself with nuclear weapons. This is all the more complicated because Iran has equipped itself with new centrifuges that shorten the enrichment time. We cannot countenance this process,” he said.

Netanyahu also noted that three major domestic concerns would need to be confronted by the new government.

“The first is to enact a responsible budget and the reforms that will allow us to lower the cost of living. The second task is to significantly increase equality in sharing the burden without causing a rift in the nation. The third mission is to move forward on a responsible and realistic diplomatic process,” he said.

Additionally, Netanyahu was unequivocal in his belief that a strong, broad coalition was to the benefit of Israel.

“Only as broad a union of forces as possible will enable us to meet these tasks and to ensure the future of the State of Israel,” he stated.