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...
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,...
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...
In Israeli Election: Kadima and Likud Both Claim Victory
With the election in the books and the ballots being counted, it is no clearer now than 24 hours ago who will be forming the next Israeli government. Exit polls suggest Kadima will complete an amazing comeback by passing Likud in number of seats, but they also suggest...
Livni Edges Bibi, but May Not Get to Form Govt
Israel's elections are over, and the counting of ballots has begun. The early exit polls show a very narrow gap between the Likud Party and the Kadima Party, with Kadima surprisingly taking a narrow lead in each of the results. Channel 1 and Channel 10 both give...
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...
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...
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...


