Elections to the Israeli Knesset ( parliament),that were due in 2010,will now take place on 10 February 2009 in view of Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni failure to cobble together a governing coalition.As a result,outgoing Prime Minister Ehud Olmert,who has been forced to resign over multiple corruption allegations,may remain in office till new government formation.
Tzipi Livni abandoned her efforts to form a new governing coalition after she refused to meet demands from Ultra-Orthodox Jewish leaders that she should pledge not to discuss ceding parts of Jerusalem in any peace talks with the Palestinians.Her party Kadima with largest number of 29 seats in the 120-seat Parliament,needed the cooperation of several coalition partners.Though labour party leader Defence Minister Ehud Barack agreed to join the coalition,the coalition could not be cobbled as smaller parties that held the balance of power made far reaching political and budgetary demands. With the ensuing political uncertainty in Israel, and political turmoil on the Palestinian side is set to worsen amid intensify rivalry between Hamas and Fatah.
Hamas, which controls Gaza, is more hardliner in its view of the conflict with Israel, while Fatah is a secular party which favours dialogue with Israel, but was voted out of government in 2006 in favour of Hamas. Palestinian peace talks hinged mainly on two issues.First,return of the eastern sector of the city of Jerusalem and the West bank sought by the Palestinian and second the return of the Golan heights that Israel captured during the six days 1967 war from Syria. Livni won an internal Kadima vote in September to replace Olmert .
But Polls showed a close race between Livni and former Prime Minister Likud leader Benjamin Netanyuhu.While Netanyuhu,who is considered more knowledgeable and experienced on both security and economy, rejects land for peace deal with both the current Palestinian leadership and Syria..Current polls show his hawkish party poised to regain power.In case he triumphs he will take a harder line on peace talks with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas,Livni on the other hand is viewed as more judicious and less prone to embarrassing imbroglios
Updated : 9 february 2009
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