Shimon Peres has chosen Benjamin Netanyahu to be the next Prime Minister of Israel. Netanyahu will have six weeks to build a governing coalition, and it remains to be seen if that coalition will include the moderate Kadima party.
"Bibi," as he is known by his supporters, is a hard liner, strongly opposed to continuing peace talks with the Palestinians. During the campaign, he vowed to topple Hamas in Gaza if elected. Tzipi Livni's Kadima party is in favor of continuing to work for peace, ceding more Israeli land if necessary.
Netanyahu could feasibly form a coalition without Kadima, by teaming with the third place Yisrael Beiteinu and other religious parties. It remains unclear which path he will follow, but he has ruled out a power sharing arrangement with Livni.
Regardless of the ultimate form of the government, Netanyahu's appointment is a huge victory for Israel's continued survival and a blow to the Obama administration, which supports continued efforts to negotiate a peaceful two-state solution.
More details at the link above.
Friday, February 20, 2009
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment