Israel’s political parties decided on Tuesday to hold early elections on Feb. 10, a decision that will leave US-backed Middle East peace talks on hold for months.
“Following a meeting of the Knesset factions, it was decided that the elections will be held on Feb. 10,” Knesset spokesman Giora Pordes said, adding that parliament would adjourn on Nov. 11.
Both Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni’s centrist Kadima party and the right-wing Likud party of hawkish former prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the two frontrunners for prime minister, had pressed for elections as soon as possible.
Israeli President Shimon Peres formally initiated the election process on Monday after Livni failed to form a new coalition.
Livni, 50, was elected Kadima leader last month and hopes to take over as prime minister from Ehud Olmert, who stepped down last month over graft allegations but remains caretaker prime minister.
Earlier on Tuesday, two Israeli ministers called for a freeze on already stalled talks with Syria and the Palestinians until a new government is sworn in.
“[Negotiations] cannot advance during the election period with us and the United States,” said Interior Minister and Kadima MP Meir Sheetrit.
“In the current political situation no agreement can be ratified by the transitional government and parliament. There can be no significant progress and the Syrians and the Palestinians understand this,” he told public radio.
National Infrastructure Minister Benjamin Ben-Eliezer, a senior Labour party member, said the interim government “cannot make strategic decisions affecting the existence of the state of Israel.”
“On security issues it must act, but as far as political issues are concerned it is better to wait for the results of the elections and the formation of the next government,” the former defense minister said.
Israel and the Palestinians formally relaunched peace talks at a US-hosted conference last November. Their goal was to end their decades-old conflict by the end of this year, but the talks have made little visible progress.
The White House nevertheless said on Monday it would press ahead with efforts to secure a full peace agreement by the time US President George W. Bush leaves office in January, despite Israel’s political uncertainty.
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