Tzipi Livni’s centrist Hatnua party has joined a coalition with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the first party to do so in the weeks following the January 22 election. The announcement came Tuesday after late morning discussions, the first sign Netanyahu may be on his way to forming a broader government. “Livni and I need to put aside disagreements in order to address the problems,” Netanyahu said today, indicating Livni would take the lead on discussions with the …More

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has yet to form the next government’s coalition, but that has not stopped some political parties from stating their positions. Shas leader Eli Yashai has said that he and his ultra-Orthodox Sephardic party would rather be in the opposition than part of a coalition that includes Yair Lapid and the Yesh Atid Party. Shas is also in negotiations with United Torah Judaism to create a major ultra-Orthodox bloc that would include 18 seats in the Knesset. Yishai criticized …More

As Israeli Election Day draws nearer, Benjamin Netanyahu’s party continues to slowly slip down in prediction polls. Likud Beiteinu, the prime minister’s newly formed party with Israel Beiteinu, looks this week to win 34 seats in the January 22 ballot. That’s two seats less than we predicted last week, and three seats less than our December 10 predictions. Likewise, Labor has slipped once again, now at 17 seats from last week’s estimate of 19. Meanwhile, Jewish Home continues to climb, …More

Tzipi Livni announced today the formation of a new political party, after weeks of speculation over what the former foreign minister’s Knesset plans would be. Livni, who previously held the post of Kadima head before an ousting by Shaul Mofaz, was rumored to be planning a political resurgence for January’s Knesset elections. Livni, 54, took a sabbatical from the politics game this past spring, and many believed she would re-join a leftist group like her former Kadima, Labor, or Yair Lapid’s new …More

Rumors are swirling that Tzipi Livni and Shelly Yachimovich have plans to run on the same ticket in the upcoming Israeli elections. The news came as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced his intention to merge his Likud Party with Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman’s Yisrael Beiteinu. The two leaders—Livni is the past chairman of the Kadima Party and Yachimovich is the current head of the Labor Party—have each at one time or another played Opposition Leader to Netanyahu’s …More

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced today his political party would merge with another. Netanyahu’s Likud will join with Yisrael Beiteinu, led by Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman. As part of the agreement, Lieberman will take the number two spot in the party. "This is the time to show strength to our enemies and unity among us," Netanyahu said. The new political group, called Likud Beiteinu, will make the largest party in the Knesset. As it stands, Netanyahu’s Likud holds 27 seats, …More

A Reuters report Wednesday asserts Ehud Olmert may be closer than ever to staging a political comeback. The ex-Israeli prime minister faced scandal after corruption charges led to a probation sentence and $19,000 fine last month. He was accused of granting personal favors to an attorney when he acted as trade minister in 2007. The sentencing amounted to little more that a slap on the wrist, including none of the potential three-year jail sentence the judge could have doled out. In addition, the sentence left out …More

Tzipi Livni has taken on a new role: fellow at a top Israeli think tank. The former opposition leader has joined forces with the Institute for National Security Studies (INSS), to help improve the reputation of the Jewish state on a global stage. The role marks Livni’s return to public work since she left the Knesset in May. The move followed her ousting as Kadima leader in March, by current Kadima head Shaul Mofaz. "Israel's national security is directly tied to its international standing,” Livni …More

Attorney Alan Baker defends the government-initiated report he co-authored that authorizes West Bank outposts. [The Jerusalem Post] Some say Obama’s vow to make a trip to Israel is simply to “one-up” Mitt Romney. [Commentary] Florida’s Jewish population is vital to Obama’s reelection. [NBC Politics] How did the Munich 11 campaign go viral? [Jewish Journal] Dan Margalit believes that the splitting Kadima party is embarrassing. [Israel Hayom] Daniel Greenfield takes a stance on the …More

US presidential candidate Mitt Romney announces his support for an official minute of silence at Friday’s opening ceremony to honor the Israeli athletes killed at the 1972 Munich Olympics. [Reuters] Meanwhile, Israel is underwhelmed by a surprise tribute to the “Munich 11” by the International Olympic Committee. [The Jerusalem Post] Kadima Party head Shaul Mofaz announces that four party members have left the group. [St. Louis Jewish Light] Israelis will not stop traveling despite the attack …More

The Kadima Party voted to quit Israel's government coalition. The Knesset members from Kadima voted 24-3 on Tuesday night to leave the government after negotiations broke down with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's Likud Party over a universal draft bill. Kadima had joined the governing coalition just two months ago. On Tuesday, [Shaul] Mofaz reportedly rejected an offer from Netanyahu that would have drafted half of the age-appropriate haredi Orthodox men into the military and the other half into …More

Rob Lattin is Jspace News' Foreign Affairs Correspondent. In addition to covering foreign affairs for Jspace, Rob is a blogger on Israeli and Middle Eastern foreign policy for the Foreign Policy Association, as well as a freelance writer. He can be reached by email at rob@jspacecorp.com. Israel’s “super-coalition,” which makes up an unprecedented 94 seats in the Knesset, is not so super these days. The coalition is at risk of collapsing over attempted reforms of the Tal Law, which provides …More