JERUSALEM (AFP) - Israeli hawk Benjamin Netanyahu will try to entice centrist rival Tzipi Livni into his government on Sunday in a bid to form a broad coalition in the notoriously unstable world of Israeli politics. A right-wing government led by Netanyahu, who wants to improve the economy of the occupied West Bank before holding talks on any other issues, is likely to completely halt the faltering Middle East peace process, observers warn. Netanyahu is thought to favour a broad union over a right-wing coalition that would be unlikely to last a full term and would put Israel at odds with Washington, where US President Barack Obama has vowed to vigorously pursue peace talks. "Aware of the enormous challenges faced by the country, there is no doubt that forming a union should be our foremost goal," he told reporters ahead of his meeting with Livni. "I expect a coalition government that will cooperate with the Obama administration," said Netanyahu, who was tasked with forming a government despite his Likud party coming second in the February 10 election.The former prime minister will try to win over outgoing foreign minister and centrist Kadima party leader Livni with the offer of senior posts in the future government, officials and local media said. According to local media reports, Netanyahu is planning to offer Livni posts such as the foreign and defence portfolios, as well as the same number of cabinet seats as his own party. "Netanyahu will offer her a real and equal partnership between the Likud and Kadima, without getting into the details of the negotiations," the Ynet news website quoted a senior aide to Netanyahu as saying. Livni has said that she would have nothing to do with a right-wing coalition, but local media say she is under pressure from some within her party to join Netanyahu's government. She is to meet lawmakers from Kadima " which narrowly won the election with 28 seats against 27 for Likud " at 1600 GMT before her encounter with Netanyahu, her office said. The 59-year-old Netanyahu can in theory count on the support of 65 MPs from various right-wing parties in the 120-member Knesset, but analysts say he wants to form a broader grouping that would be more stable. The February election was called a year ahead of time after Livni was charged with forming a cabinet following the resignation of the scandal-plagued outgoing Prime Minister Ehud Olmert. But the ultra-Orthodox Shas party refused to join a Livni cabinet because of her refusal to commit to not negotiating the status of Jerusalem with the Palestinians, scuttling her first attempt to become the country's second woman prime minister. A right-wing Netanyahu government is likely to put Israel at odds with its main ally the United States, where Obama has vowed to pursue peace talks and has put together an experienced team to focus on the issue. Netanyahu faces a delicate balancing act as he tries to entice Livni into his government without alienating religious and far-right parties on whom he will have to rely should Kadima go into opposition. "He comes to this match already married," wrote the Maariv newspaper. "If he should say yes to Livni, he will lose his natural base. He cannot say yes to her. He can say 'perhaps.' Or 'We will see.' He can nod silently. He can wink."