“Bibi (Netanyahu) understands the weightiness of pursuing the peace process,” outgoing Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said Monday night of his designated replacement.
Speaking to representatives of the Jewish Agency at his Jerusalem office, Olmert said “My position that Israel needs a broad government is well-known, and the next government should be established expeditiously.
“Bibi is a patriot. In the past, during his tenure as PM, he also understood the importance of pursuing peace,” he said.

Israel faced what could be weeks or even months of political uncertainty today after an election that ended with both the Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni and her rival Benjamin Netanyahu claiming victory.
With more than 95 per cent of the results announced, Mrs Livni’s centrist Kadima party has registered a narrow win, with 28 seats to 27 for Mr Netanyahu’s right-wing Likud party in the 120-member parliament. But right-wing and religious parties have won the larger share of the overall vote, and in a divided parliament that depends on coalition government …

More Israelis have cast their ballot in the first few hours of voting than during the 2006 general election, electoral commission officials say.
By 8pm local time [18:00 GMT] on Tuesday, 59.7 per cent of 5.3 million eligible voters had voted, compared to 57.2 per cent per cent in the last parliamentary election.

The hottest slogan in the Israeli election campaign is a not-so-veiled attack on the country’s Arab minority: “Without loyalty, there is no citizenship.”
The motto is plastered nationwide across buses and billboards. Above it looms the dour, bearded face of its mastermind, Avigdor Lieberman, who is enjoying a surge in opinion polls that indicate he could emerge as the political kingmaker after Tuesday’s election.
Recent polls have Lieberman’s Yisrael Beiteinu party edging past the Labor Party to become the third-largest faction in parliament. The two leading rivals for prime minister — Benjamin …

JERUSALEM — Israel’s leaders don’t just have to worry about winning a war. They’ve got an election to think about, too.
The outcome of the February vote could be determined by how effectively Israel presses its campaign against Palestinian militants in Gaza. Two of the top contenders for prime minister are Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni, who has pressed Israel’s case in multiple TV appearances worldwide, and Defense Minister Ehud Barak, who is the strategic mastermind behind the offensive.

Dennis Ross, former special US envoy to the Middle East, came to this battleground state Tuesday night to use the weight of his reputation and experience to urge fellow Jewish voters to back Barack Obama.
But the first question he was asked had to do with Obama’s associations with another Middle East figure, Rashid Khalidi.
The McCain campaign is using Obama’s link to the Palestinian advocate and former Chicago university professor to hammer away at Obama, and demanded Wednesday that the Los Angeles Times release a video in its possession showing Obama …

Benjamin “Bibi” Netanyahu was the 9th Prime Minister of Israel.

Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni may be married with two children, but that did not stop a Canadian admirer from sending her what looks like a diamond ring, an Israeli newspaper reported Tuesday.
The 18-karat golden ring arrived at Livni’s office in Jerusalem with an international package delivery service, Yediot Ahronot said.
Her security people first scrutinized it to ensure the package contained no bomb, but once they opened it, they found a silver- coloured luxury box with the ring inside.

JERUSALEM (AP) — Israeli opposition leader Benjamin Netanyahu has opened his campaign for prime minister by staking out a hardline position toward Syria and the Palestinians.
Netanyahu told parliament on Monday that if he becomes prime minister, he will seek peace with Israel’s neighbors. But he says Israel must keep the Golan Heights, large parts of the West Bank or any of Jerusalem.

JERUSALEM (AFP) — Israeli President Shimon Peres said on Monday that efforts to form a new government had failed, paving the way for snap elections that could turn on the future of the Middle East peace process.
“After having consulted with representatives of all parliamentary factions I would like to inform you that I see no possibility of forming a government,” Peres said in a letter he delivered to parliament.