Jerusalem  - New Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu formally took office Wednesday, with his predecessor and the country's president urging him to continue the peace process with the Palestinians.

But Netanyahu's controversial choice for foreign minister , Avigdor Lieberman, later said Israel was not bound by the so-called Annapolis process which paved the way for the Israel-Palestinian peace talks that entered a hiatus when Israel headed for elections late last year.

Berlin  - In a congratulatory message to incoming Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, German Chancellor Angela Merkel pressed him Wednesday to advance the peace process with the Palestinians and usher in a two-state solution to the conflict.

"I hope you will manage to achieve decisive progress towards a two-state solution," she said, referring to German support for establishing a sovereign Palestinian state which would agree to exist in peace with its neighbour Israel.

Washington, Apr. 1 : Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has warned that if US President Obama doesn''t act to stop Iran developing a nuclear weapon, the Israelis may be forced to attack Iran.

An article titled, "Netanyahu to Obama: Stop Iran-Or I Will" in The Atlantic makes the threat of a unilateral strike on Iran''s nuclear sites very explicit, reports CBS.

Jerusalem - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's Likud party signed a coalition agreement with a fifth partner, the ultra-Orthodox United Torah Judaism (UTJ) on Wednesday, a day after his government was sworn in.

The agreement was signed after last-minute differences were ironed out, Israel Radio reported.

UTJ, which has five mandates in the 120-seat Knesset, Israel's parliament, did not receive any ministerial portfolios. It did receive the deputy ministerial posts of health and education.

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Jerusalem - The Palestinian leadership Tuesday reacted with disappointment to comments by Israel's incoming Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his failure to support a two-state solution to the Mideast conflict.

"We had hoped to hear from Benjamin Netanyahu a commitment to the two-state solution, to negotiations on all core issues without exception, including Jerusalem, to stopping all settlement activities ... and to lifting the siege on Gaza," said chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat in a statement.