The 15 seats of Yisrael Beiteinu would be extremely valuable to either Kadima or Likud in forming a coalition government. The Shas Party is hoping an alliance with United Torah Judaism, which would offer a combined 16 seats, will be even more valuable. Both Shas and...
Obama Administration Accuses Iran of Pursuing Nuclear Weapons
It has been 15 months since the release of the National Intelligence Estimate on Iran which determined that the Iranian government had halted all efforts to create a nuclear weapon, and the outgoing chairman of the National Intelligence Council reaffirmed those...
Israeli Rivals Share Hawkish Views on Iran, Hamas
Will it be hawkish Kadima leader Tzipi Livni, or really hawkish Likud leader Benjamin Netanyahu? The foreign policy of these two prospective coalition leaders may be different around the edges, but on the most serious issues, it simply won't matter much. Both ran...
Netanyahu Leading ‘Winner’ Livni to Head Govt
The quest for a coalition government in Israel could take weeks after yesterday's elections left Tzipi Livni's Kadima Party with a narrow lead in the number of seats but a very difficult path to forming a coalition. While both Kadima and rival Likud were celebrating...
26 Dead in Afghan Assaults; Pakistan Group Blamed
Taliban forces launched coordinated attacks on the Afghan government's prisons directorate, justice and education ministries in Kabul today, killing at least 26 and wounding 57 others. At least eight suicide attackers were involved in the attack, in addition to an...
Iraq: String of Bombings Threatens Relative Calm
The relative quiet which Iraq has enjoyed in the past few months came to a screeching halt today when a pair of back-to-back car bombings at a bus station in southern Baghdad caused scores of casualties. The attacks came as two parked cars loaded with explosives were...
The Long Road to an Israeli Coalition Goes Through Lieberman
While both the Likud Party and the Kadima Party have been holding rather premature victory celebrations, the battle lines are being drawn for what could be a protracted battle to secure the endorsement of the third largest party, Avigdor Lieberman's Yisrael Beiteinu,...
Ahmadinejad: Iran Ready for US Talks
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad declared at today's Tehran rally marking the 30th anniversary of the Iranian revolution that the Iranian government is "ready" to talk to the United States "in a fair atmosphere with mutual respect." The United States and Iran...
No Party Breaks 23 Percent in Israeli Election
With 100% of the ballots counted, the ruling Kadima Party has retained the largest number of seats in Israel's Knesset, with 28. Likud came in a close second with 27 (despite leading in virtually every poll in the past few weeks), and Yisrael Beiteinu finished third...
Lieberman’s Condition for Joining a Coalition: Destroy Hamas
Avigdor Lieberman's Yisrael Beiteinu party didn't do nearly as well in the election as previous polls suggested he would, but with a narrow margin between the top parties they may yet hold the key to forming a coalition government. He's got a condition for any...