Netanyahu hits back at critics, commits to further peace talks

A day after Israel's Labour Party voted to join Benjamin Netanyahu's Likud in a coalition, the Prime Minister-designate said on Wednesday that he intended to continue peace negotiations with the Palestinian Authority.Prime Minister-designate and Likud party leader Benjamin Netanyahu struck back on Wednesday at critics of his political agenda, a day after he reached a coalition deal with Labor party leader Ehud Barak."Peace is not the last goal. It is a common and enduring goal for all Israelis and Israeli governments, mine included. This means I will negotiate with the Palestinian Authority for peace," he told a Jerusalem conference.The statement was directed primarily at US President Barack Obama, who on Tuesday both reaffirmed his determination to strive for the creation of a Palestinian state and warned that it would not be easy to work out a compromise with a Likud-led administration known for its opposition to the creation of a Palestinian state.