Israel’s Possible Leaders

July 31, 2008

Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak and Syrian President Bashar Assad (AP)

Ehud Olmert announced he will resign as prime minister following elections to choose a new chair of the Kadima Party on September 17, with a possible runoff between the top two candidates on September 24. Israeli President Shimon Peres, will then task a member of the Knesset (MK) (most likely the newly chosen head of Kadima) with forming a government. The MK has 28 days to do so, with a possible 14-day extension. If a government is created, the MK will assume the balance of Olmert’s term. If the MK is unsuccessful, Peres will choose another MK who will have 28 days to form a government. If that too ends in failure, the Knesset will be deemed to have opted to dissolve, leading to new general elections within 90 days. Until a new government is formed, Olmert will remain as prime minister.

Likely Kadima Primary Candidates
Avi Dichter
Dichter is the minister of public security and former director of the Shin Bet, Israel’s internal intelligence service. He was elected to the Knesset in March 2006 and was appointed minister two months later. While serving as Shin Bet director in 2001, Dichter advocated for the construction of the separation barrier between Israel and the West Bank.

Tzipi Livni
Livni, the vice prime minister and minister of foreign affairs, was elected to the Knesset in 1999. She was a member of the Likud Party before helping to form Kadima in 2005. Livni serves as Israel’s lead negotiator in renewed peace talks with the Palestinians.

Shaul Mofaz
Mofaz is the current transportation minister and deputy prime minister. A former defense minister and army chief of staff, Mofaz was elected to the Knesset in March 2006. In June 2008, Mofaz spoke about Israel’s willingness to bomb Iran, which traders saw as contributing to the largest single-day increase ever in oil prices.

Meir Sheetrit
Sheetrit, the minister of interior, was mayor of Yavneh from 1974-1987 and has served in various posts in the Cabinet including minister of justice, minister of finance and minister of transportation. In 2006, Sheetrit left the Likud party and joined Kadima.

Likely Prime Ministerial Candidates Outside Kadima
Ehud Barak (Labor)
Barak, prime minister from May 1999 to March 2001, has been a deputy prime minister and the minister of defense since June 2007. As prime minister, Barak took part in the 2000 Camp David summit with Palestinian Authority President Yasser Arafat and U.S. President Bill Clinton. He also negotiated unsuccessfully with Syria.

Benjamin Netanyahu (Likud)
Netanyahu served as prime minister from 1996 to 1999, minister of foreign affairs from November 2002 until February 2003 and finance minister from February 2003 to August 2005. As prime minister, Netanyahu negotiated the Wye River Memorandum with Arafat and Clinton. Implementation of that agreement, however, was limited. As finance minister, Netanyahu enacted a series of controversial economic reforms.

For more information, see Israel’s Political System



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In-Depth Coverage

Original Commentaries

08/20/10
Center for American Progress Welcomes Resumption of Direct Talks  —
08/10/10
A View from the Ground  —Darbaz Kosrat Rasul, chair, Rebaz Foundation. Interview with Middle East Bulletin.
08/03/10
U.S.-Turkish Relations  —Ambassador Francis J. Ricciardone, Jr., recently returned deputy ambassador in Afghanistan; former ambassador to Egypt (2005-2008); and deputy chief of mission and charge d'affaires in U.S. embassy in Turkey (1995-1999). Congressional Testimony.

Setting the Record Straight

Eye Still on the Ball

“Adverse developments in Iraq will be (and will look to be) increasingly a function of the Obama Team taking their eye off of the ball and rushing to declare mission accomplished. Yes, in such a scenario the Iraqis should bear most of the blame, but the part that is due to U.S. action or inaction will be Obama's responsibility. And it will matter. Iraq is at the center of a region that every president since Jimmy Carter has identified as vital to our national security. Iraq is next door to, and the playground for mischief from, the most thorny national security challenge the United States faces: a nuclear-weapons-seeking Iranian regime. These inconvenient facts mean that if the Iraqi situation demands more focused and costly U.S. attention, it will likely get it. At that point, what sort of domestic coalition will be available for President Obama's Iraq policy?”
—Peter Feaver, director, Triangle Institute for Security Studies; former director for defense policy and arms control, National Security Council, “Obama’s Iraq Speech: Another Missed Opportunity,” Foreign Policy, August 3, 2010versus
  • “Iraq is a strategically important place in the Middle East, just by its geographic location, by its population, by the influence it's had in the Middle East for a long time. So neighboring countries from around the Middle East have an interest inside of Iraq.

    “But I will tell you that I think Iraqis themselves are nationalistic in nature, and that's why it's important. A strong Iraq will defend itself against interference from outside countries, and I think as we build a strong Iraq and as we continue to build a strong security mechanism and as we continue to help them economically and diplomatically, that will make it less likely of others from the outside being able to interfere.

    “Now, for the vacuum as we see today, again, I remind everyone is that we still have a significant presence here, and we are not going to—we will not allow undue maligned influence on the Iraqi government as they attempt to form their government. What we're trying to do is provide them the space and time for them to do that, and we will continue to do that post 1 September. We'll still have a significant civilian presence, and again, we'll still have 50,000 troops on the ground here to ensure that this government can be formed by the Iraqis. And that all the other nations respect their sovereignty as they go about forming their government.”
    —General Ray Odierno, commander of U.S. forces in Iraq, interview, “This Week” with Christiane Amanpour, August 8, 2010

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