Israel’s Kadima and Labor parties are close to a deal on a coalition government led by Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni, a move that sets her on course to form a new centrist administration, Army Radio said on Sunday.
Livni still needs to persuade other parties to join her to build a workable parliamentary majority. She was named by President Shimon Peres to take over from Ehud Olmert, who quit as prime minister over a corruption inquiry.
Olmert continues to serve as caretaker prime minister for now but if Livni cannot form a government by the start of next month, an early parliamentary election is likely.
PHOTO: AFP
“The formation of as broad a government as possible at this time is the best thing for Israel and I know that the public will not forgive those who ... send Israel to elections at this time,” Livni told Kadima members on Sunday night.
In order to present her governing coalition to the 120-seat parliament and gain a vote of confidence, Livni would have to enlist the support of a total of 61 members of the Knesset.
Olmert’s centrist government which served for more than two years, had the support of 67 lawmakers when he resigned. Analysts predict Livni’s government would have a similar political orientation and probably also similar support.
A Livni aide speaking on condition of anonymity said the deal with Labor could be signed by yesterday.
Army radio said Kadima and Labor negotiators would try to tie up loose ends in late-night talks before the start of a Jewish holiday yesterday afternoon
Meanwhile, Israel said it would seal off the West Bank for Palestinian movement early yesterday ahead of the first day of the Jewish Sukkot holiday.
The closure will be in effect until midnight next Tuesday, a security assessment said.
Sukkot, which si also known as the Holiday of Tabernacles, lasts seven days.
This time of the year sees several key Jewish holidays, including the Jewish New Year or Rosh Hashana, two weeks ago, and the Day of Atonement or Yom Kippur, last week, during which the West Bank was also placed under closure.
The military said in a statement that it will be on “higher alert in order to ensure the safety of the citizens of Israel, while preserving to the best of its ability the daily routine of the Palestinian population.”
Palestinians in need of humanitarian assistance and medical aid would be allowed to pass into Israel during the closure, the military said.
Republican US lawmakers on Friday criticized US President Joe Biden’s administration after sanctioned Chinese telecoms equipment giant Huawei unveiled a laptop this week powered by an Intel artificial intelligence (AI) chip. The US placed Huawei on a trade restriction list in 2019 for contravening Iran sanctions, part of a broader effort to hobble Beijing’s technological advances. Placement on the list means the company’s suppliers have to seek a special, difficult-to-obtain license before shipping to it. One such license, issued by then-US president Donald Trump’s administration, has allowed Intel to ship central processors to Huawei for use in laptops since 2020. China hardliners
Conjoined twins Lori and George Schappell, who pursued separate careers, interests and relationships during lives that defied medical expectations, died this month in Pennsylvania, funeral home officials said. They were 62. The twins, listed by Guinness World Records as the oldest living conjoined twins, died on April 7 at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, obituaries posted by Leibensperger Funeral Homes of Hamburg said. The cause of death was not detailed. “When we were born, the doctors didn’t think we’d make 30, but we proved them wrong,” Lori said in an interview when they turned 50, the Philadelphia Inquirer reported. The
RAMPAGE: A Palestinian man was left dead after dozens of Israeli settlers searching for a missing 14-year-old boy stormed a village in the Israeli-occupied West Bank US President Joe Biden on Friday said he expected Iran to attack Israel “sooner, rather than later” and warned Tehran not to proceed. Asked by reporters about his message to Iran, Biden simply said: “Don’t,” underscoring Washington’s commitment to defend Israel. “We are devoted to the defense of Israel. We will support Israel. We will help defend Israel and Iran will not succeed,” he said. Biden said he would not divulge secure information, but said his expectation was that an attack could come “sooner, rather than later.” Israel braced on Friday for an attack by Iran or its proxies as warnings grew of
A prominent Christian leader has allegedly been stabbed at the altar during a Mass yesterday in southwest Sydney. Bishop Mar Mari Emmanuel was saying Mass at Christ The Good Shepherd Church in Wakeley just after 7pm when a man approached him at the altar and allegedly stabbed toward his head multiple times. A live stream of the Mass shows the congregation swarm forward toward Emmanuel before it was cut off. The church leader gained prominence during the COVID-19 pandemic, amassing a large online following, Officers attached to Fairfield City police area command attended a location on Welcome Street, Wakeley following reports a number