Netanyahu: Lieberman Won’t Be Defense Minister

Likud leader Benjamin Netanyahu says he "will approach all the Zionist parties to join a coalition headed by Likud," but has indicated that Avigdor Lieberman, head of the surging Yisrael Beiteinu party, will not be the defense minister in his prospective coalition...

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The Strange Bedfellows of Israeli Politics

Israel's Channel 2 sent a reporter to the Haifa rally for the surging Yisrael Beiteinu party of Avigdor Lieberman. The reporter, Forat Nassar, was turned away. The reason: because he's an Arab, and they're persona non-grata for a party whose sky-rocketing popularity...

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Landmark Israeli Election Begins

At midnight tonight EST, Israelis begin casting their ballots for the next Knesset (parliament). The Likud Party's wide lead of recent weeks has narrowed considerably (on the back of a major surge in the popularity of Yisrael Beiteinu), but leader Benjamin Netanyahu...

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Schism That May Be Key to Israeli Elections

The presumptive key to Likud leader Benjamin Netanyahu's ability to credibly form a coalition government (assuming he is not able to put together his unity government) has been a right-far-right coalition. Polls suggest that Likud, Shas, and Yisrael Beiteinu would...

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Israeli MP: Military Rabbi Turned Gaza Into Holy War

The controversial booklet distributed to Israeli soldiers during the Gaza invasion by chief Israeli military rabbi Brigadier General Avichai Rontzki was "unsuitable for military publication," according to the Israeli Defense Ministry. In a letter to opposition MP...

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UN Halts Gaza Aid, Citing Hamas Thefts

The United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) has announced that it is suspending all humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip, citing yesterday's reported theft of several truckloads of food by the Hamas government. Most of the 1.5 million residents of the Gaza...

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The Quest For a Grand Zionist Coalition

Only five days remain until Israel goes to the polls, and while the surging popularity of Avigdor Lieberman's Yisrael Beiteinu party has begun to siphon votes from the frontrunning Likud Party, Likud head Benjamin Netanyahu remains hopeful that he can form the next...

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Netanyahu Promises Lieberman Pivotal Ministership

Updated 2/5/09 11:30 AM EST While Kadima has managed to somewhat narrow the gap between them and the Likud Party of Benjamin Netanyahu, the smart money continues to be on the later forming the government after next week's election, particularly with the gains of...

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