Tel Aviv  - New Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu may have achieved his aim of forming a broad-based unity coalition, but this does not guarantee him a premiership free of challenges.

Coalition requirements forced him to form a government with 30 ministers - so large that ministries had to be split to accommodate all the demands from various partners.

This, in turn, led to huge dissatisfaction inside his own right- wing Likud party, with senior legislators unhappy that the top cabinet posts were parceled out to coalition partners.

Jerusalem  - The new Israeli government will hold negotiations with the Palestinian Authority in order to reach a permanent peace agreement, incoming Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Tuesday.

Addressing the Knesset as he presented his new government and its guidelines, Netanyahu said he would hold peace talks with the Palestinians on three levels: economic, diplomatic and security. "This joint path is the right path to peace," he declared.

Jerusalem  - Completing a period of intense coalition negotiations, Prime Minister-designate Benjamin Netanyahu was set to present his government Tuesday afternoon, seven weeks after Israel's elections.

Netanyahu formally requested the Knesset, Israel's parliament, to hold a special session and swear in the new government.

The session was scheduled to start at 5 pm (1400 GMT).

Tel Aviv  - Another right-wing party joined the coalition of Israeli Prime Minister-designate Benjamin Netanyahu Wednesday evening, Israel Radio reported.

Netanyahu's hardline, but mainstream Likud party signed a coalition agreement with the pro-settler Jewish Home faction.

The party has three seats in the 120-seat Knesset, meaning Netanyahu now has a majority of 69 lawmakers in the Israeli parliament.

The Jewish Home will receive the science portfolio, the radio said.

Tel Aviv - Israeli Prime Minister-designate Benjamin Netanyahu plans to present his government early next week, following a vote by the centre-left Labour Party to join his Likud-led government.

In a dramatic and tumultuous meeting of the Labour Party Convention in Tel Aviv late Tuesday, 680 delegates voted for and 507 against party leader Ehud Barak's proposal to join the Netanyahu government.

Tel Aviv  - The Israeli Labo