Livni hints she'll reject offer to join Netanyahu-led government

[oberliner]

Kadima Chairwoman Tzipi Livni on Sunday hinted that she would not join a government led by Likud Chairman Benjamin Netanyahu. "I have already been No. 2 and from that position I will not be able to advance procedures," she said during closed talks.

Livni's associates made similar comments over the weekend, ahead of the faction's first meeting since last week's elections. "Either a rotating coalition or we go to the opposition," they said. "We won't sit in an right-wing government under Netanyahu's leadership."

Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has urged Livni to join the opposition rather than joining Netanyahu's coalition, it emerged on Sunday.

According to Olmert, such a political move would ensure the victory of Kadima once Netanyahu's government were to fall.

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1064248.html

I agree with Olmert's prediction.

I think Livni will reject Bibi's offer and he will form a RW coalition.

Within a few months, either Shas or Beiteinu will bolt leading to a collapse of the government.

[Hope And Change]

1. Avigdor Lieberman who heads Yisrael Beiteinu is under police investigation for...

money laundering, fraud and breach of trust.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=124&topic_id=260539&mesg_id=260539

[oberliner]

3. He is bad news

Although it's hard to find a politician in Israel who is not under investigation for something or other.

Livni seems to be relatively scandal-free - another reason, perhaps, why she might steer clear of joining a coalition with these characters.

[nradisic]

2. Livni is a smart woman

Bibi is the worst right winger in Israel and any government lead by him will collapse very quickly> If peace is to have a chance, then the wackos must be taken out of the equation.

[oberliner]

4. This election may lead to a serious realignment

And possibly a push towards reforming the electoral system in Israel.

Personally, I wish they had something closer to what we've got in the United States.

Perhaps Kadima, Labour, and Meretz could merge into a big-tent party similar to our Democratic Party.

Sadly, it may take the failure of a far-RW coalition government for the Israeli people to embrace a more center-left ideology again.

[LeftishBrit]

7. I don't think it needs to go to that level of a two-party system

Many Europaean countries seem to manage with a modified proportional-representation system. However, in most cases where it works well, the threshold for a party to get representation is set considerably higher than it is in Israel. I definitely would recommend setting a higher threshold in Israel - though it would not completely rule out the nastier parties.

I certainly hope that Isrel will reject the far-RW. Perhaps, if the electoral system changes a bit, the far-RW will be a noisy nuisance-ish minority, whose one positive asset will be that they siphon off the extreme right from other parties, therefore leading to greater moderation in the mainstream parties. (One of the few advantages of LePen's party in France is that it seems to siphon off the RW voters, and therefore, at least sometimes, the moderate wing has more influence in the mainstream conservative party than would be the case in some other countries.)

[Idealism]

8. The Israeli electoral system needs to change ASAP

The vote threshold a party must reach for representation is obviously lacking; it leads to the 20+ party debacle we have now in Israel. In most countries that use the proportional electorate, parties much win substantially more than the 2% you need in Israel. I don't see how you a change would be accomplished under a RW government, though. They like the status quo.

I don't think a two-party system is correct for Israel, however, nor do I think it is right for the U.S., but it is definitely preferable to a proportional representation system with 2% of the vote needed to hold seats under a new party in the Knesset.

[Captain Hilts]

5. It's for NutsAndYahoos only. nt

[LeftishBrit]

6. It may be...

that the Nuts (Shas) will refuse to work with the Yahoos (Beiteinu) and that may scupper Netanyahu's chances!

[azurnoir]

9. you might be right but there is also the fact that

a week ago the "nuts" and the "yahoos" were competing for votes, this week there is something in it for both of them to "play nice" and get along.

[IndianaGreen]

10. Isn't Lieberman in Belarus as we speak?

There is talk that Lieberman will promote himself as the one to form the new government, dissing Livni and Bibi.

[oberliner]

11. Indeed he is

Maybe he'll decide to stay there!