Several European Union officials expressed apprehension on Monday as Likud Chairman Binyamin (Bibi) Netanyahu worked to form a coalition. Netanyahu could be less likely than his predecessor, Kadima head Ehud Olmert, to reach a deal including the creation of a Palestinian Authority state in Judea, Samaria and Gaza, they said.

"We could have a rough start,” warned Czech Vice-Premier Alexandr Vondra, whose country currently holds the EU's rotating presidency. “We need to move forward on the [Israel-PA] peace process,” he added. Swedish Foreign Minister Carl Bilt accused Netanyahu of undermining negotiations already, saying Netanyahu's conditions for those seeking to join his coalition “are clearly incompatible with existing commitments of the peace process.”

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