JERUSALEM (AP) — Israel’s new opposition leader is a pragmatic lawmaker and scion of the Labor Party who is likely to focus the movement on a diplomatic agenda. Isaac Herzog might even give a boost to the prime minister’s coalition should progress be made in peace talks with the Palestinians. Herzog cruised to an impressive upset victory in the Labor primary … Read More
TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — Danny Danon says he has no problem with his party leader, Israel’s prime minister — so long as he doesn’t make peace. The ambitious deputy defense minister isn’t a household name internationally yet, but at home he has emerged as an unlikely opponent to Benjamin Netanyahu and his strongest opposition within the hawkish ruling Likud … Read More
JERUSALEM (AP) — Israel’s hardline prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, has emerged as the country’s top politician with a cautious approach to peace making, saying Israel can never let down its guard if it wants to survive in a hostile region. This conservative style, which has often enraged even his closest allies abroad, was expected to propel Netanyahu to re-election in … Read More
JERUSALEM—Just seven years after quitting her job as a high-profile media commentator, the leader of Israel’s Labor Party appears to be on track to become head of the country’s second-largest parliamentary faction and the leading voice against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. And if Netanyahu’s coalition somehow falls short of a majority in next week’s election, Shelly Yachimovich would likely wind … Read More
JERUSALEM (AP) — Shiver me timbers! Israel’s newest political party has more than a platform — it’s got a plank. The Israel Pirate Party is one of 34 lists competing in the country’s Jan. 22 parliamentary election. While only a dozen or so have a realistic chance of getting elected, many Israelis fed up with existential issues like the conflict … Read More
RAANANA, Israel (AP) — The charismatic new leader of Israel‘s Jewish religious right is siphoning a large chunk of votes from the prime minister’s party, according to polls ahead of Jan. 22 elections, and if the trend continues, the high-tech millionaire and former commando could emerge as a powerful voice opposing Palestinian statehood. Though Naftali Bennett, the 40-year-old son of American immigrants, is a classic … Read More
JERUSALEM — Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak abruptly quit politics Monday, potentially robbing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of a key ally who enabled his hard-line government to present a moderate face to the world. Netanyahu’s party picked a young, more hawkish list of candidates in its primary election on Monday. Barring another comeback by the mercurial former general, Barak’s departure … Read More
JERUSALEM—The hottest slogan in the Israeli election campaign is a not-so-veiled attack on the country’s Arab minority: “Without loyalty, there is no citizenship.” The motto is plastered nationwide across buses and billboards. Above it looms the dour, bearded face of its mastermind, Avigdor Lieberman, who is enjoying a surge in opinion polls that indicate he could emerge as the political … Read More
TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) _ Even in the world of politics and its strange bedfellows, this coalition is odder than most. On Tuesday, a party representing Israeli Holocaust survivors joined forces with the pro-marijuana Green Leaf party for a run at Israel’s parliament. The new party launched its campaign in a near-empty, underground, graffiti-filled nightclub in south Tel Aviv, pledging … Read More
JERUSALEM — The star of Israel’s election campaign seems to be Barack Obama. A religious party has translated “yes we can” into Hebrew. Front-runner Benjamin “Bibi” Netanyahu’s Web page looks a lot like Obama’s, and a candidate for Parliament has his own version of an “Obama-girl” Internet ad. As for Labor Party leader Ehud Barak, vying with Netanyahu for the … Read More
JERUSALEM — Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, once one of Israel’s leading hawks, is leaving office an outspoken dove. Forced out by corruption charges, Olmert is saying something that used to be fringe opinion among Israelis – that to make peace with the Palestinians, Israel must make sweeping territorial concessions, including Arab parts of Jerusalem. “We must relinquish … parts of … Read More
JERUSALEM – To understand why a lifelong hawk like Ehud Olmert could come to embody the moderate center of Israeli politics, look no further than his family. There’s his wife, Aliza, a dove even before they married 35 years ago. And his son Shaul, who refused to serve the army’s rule over the Palestinians. And his daughter Dana, who is … Read More
JERUSALEM (AP) — A former intelligence official who controlled Pentagon spy Jonathan Pollard has put his new party in a position to influence Israel’s next government with its surprise showing in legislative elections. Rafi Eitan, who also helped in the capture of Holocaust mastermind Adolf Eichmann in 1960, led his Pensioners Party to garnering seven seats in the 120-seat parliament. Most … Read More
TEL AVIV, Israel — Dressed in sneakers, khaki pants and a sweatshirt, the chairman of Israel’s pro-marijuana Green Leaf party takes a drag from his cigarette. “If it was up to the youth, I would be the Prime Minister of Israel,” Boaz Wachtel says, sitting on a worn-out sofa in his Tel Aviv office. That may be a pipe-dream, but … Read More
JERUSALEM, Israel (AP) — Doctors expect Prime Minister Ariel Sharon to recover fully from a mild stroke and leave the hospital Tuesday, but his illness raised questions about his long-term health and ability to lead Israel if he wins a third term next year. As the 77-year-old Sharon recovered, members of the hardline Likud Party, which he quit last month to … Read More