Israel Matzav

Yisrael Beiteinu Shuns Olmert

It's no longer just Labor. YNet is now reporting that Yisrael Beiteinu has declined to recommend anyone to form the next government. And it's beginning to look more and more possible that the formation of the new government may be placed upon Labor's Amir Peretz to combine right wing security policy (or at least the road map) with a populist social policy. If this happens, a lot of Kadima Achora voters may wish they had voted Likud:

Members of the Israel Our Home party, headed by Avigdor Lieberman, told President Moshe Katsav Sunday they have decided not to recommend a candidate for the task of forming the next government.

According to earlier estimates, the party was expected to recommend Kadima's Ehud Olmert.

"At this point the situation is not ripe to recommend anyone. All the options are open," said Knesset Member Yuri Stern, who is second on the party list, before entering the president's home. Lieberman himself did not show up for the meeting.

Earlier, the Labor party presented another surprise at Katsav's home. After meeting with the president, Labor's Secretary-General Eitan Cabel said: "It turns out that there is more than one option for assembling the government. We plan to set up an social emergency coalition and we turn to all the factions in order to recommend Amir Peretz to the president as the next prime minister. That is also what we recommended to the president."

Responding to Kadima's attacks over the matter, Cabel said: "I suggest to them: 'speak softly.' Kadima has lost proportion and lost direction." [I'm not sure they ever had either of them. CiJ]

A senior Labor member later told Ynet: "The basic political principles of a government (set up in coalition with right-wing parties) will be based on the Road Map, the utilization of a diplomatic process without unilateral steps, and an emphasis on social issues."

posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 9:09 PM