Wonder WHAT will fall out of the ISRAELI TREE?
U.S. AND E.U. Unofficially Involved in ISRAELI Politics,
Ready on the Left, Ready on
the Right, Ready on the Line,
Prepare to fire! FIRE! Rush to target to see how it turned Out!
But in case of government tree to see which of the critters fell Out!
February 14, 2009
http://www.tribulationperiod.com/
At the moment it appears the most likely makeup of the new government may be the three parties of Katima, Likud, and Labor, which would give the government a total of 68 votes out of a total of 120. The Prime Minister would most likely be Benjamin Netanyahu of the Likud Party. Who will head the next government, and when will an 18 month truce agreement be reached, are the two most important questions in Israel at the moment – Excerpts 1 and 2 deal with these two questions.
Begin Excerpt 1 from Haaretz
U.S., EU say prefer Kadima-Likud unity gov’t
By Natasha Mozgovava and Barak Ravid, Haaretz
Correspondents, and The Associated Press
February 13, 2009
While the make-up of
the next government remains a question mark in Israel, it appears that the United States and the European Union have already weighed in with a clear preference for a unity government that includes Kadima and Likud.
The U.S. official position is that it looks forward to “working with any government,” but in back-channel messages the Obama administration has made it clear it would like to see a unity government in Jerusalem over a narrow right-wing government which would in all likelihood result in a freeze in peace talks with the Palestinians.
Aides to Likud chairman Benjamin Netanyahu confirmed on Friday that Washington officials did indeed relay the message while associates of Kadima chief Tzipi Livni denied receiving such a message.
Officially, the State Department said the coalitional line-up is an internal Israeli matter with which Washington does not involve itself.
The European Union’s foreign policy chief says a new unity government of Israel’ s Kadima and Likud political partie
s would help Mideast peace talks.
EU official Javier Solana says an Israeli government led by Netanyahu would be more difficult for the peace process.
In the most likely scenario for a unity government, Netanyahu would be prime minister while Kadima would hold ministries such as finance, defense or foreign affairs.
Solana also said Friday in Washington that there could be a deal within 48 hours between Israel and Hamas on a long-term cease-fire in Gaza.
Egypt is mediating the talks.
Begin Excerpt 2 from YNet News
Mashaal: Ceasefire may suffer delay
Exiled Hamas leader says complication may keep Egypt from announcing Gaza truce deal on Sunday
AFP
The exiled leader of Hamas, Khaled Meshaal, told AFP on Friday that there was a hitch in Egyptian mediators’ plans to announce a truce with Israel in and around the territory this weekend.
“The Egyptians had told us that the announcement of this truce would be made on Sunday but there has been a complication and we don’t know if that date will be kept to,” Meshaal told AFP without specifying the nature of the problem.
The Damascus-based Hamas leader, who had just arrived in the Qatari capital after a mini-tour of regional states deemed sympathetic to his organization, said that the Egyptian mediators were discussing the problem but that he did not believe that the original timetable would be adhered to.
Mashaal’s number two Moussa Abu Marzouk had told the Egyptian state news agency MENA late on Thursday that the mediators would announce an agreement on an 18-month truce within 48 hours after Hamas gave it its endorsement.
Abu Marzouk also said kidnapped soldier Gilad Shalit would not be included in the agreement. “This is a separate issue and has no bearing on the ceasefire,” he said.
A Palestinian source added that any correlation between a possible prisoner swap and the emerging ceasefire would have “complicated” the talks.
Arab press agencies have reported that Israel was willing to release most of the Palestinian prisoners Hamas is demanding in return for Shalit.
Four names still constitute points of contention, among them the mastermind behind the assassination of Minister Rehavam Zeevi, Ahmad Sa’adat.
On Saturday Reuters reported that the Egypt-brokered ceasefire would encompass 18 months. The second stage of talks would include a possible prisoner swap deal.
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