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



Stay Informed

Sign up to receive the Middle East Bulletin!

Support Middle East Progress

In-Depth Coverage

Original Commentaries

03/18/10
Mubarak’s Hospitalization Raises Questions  —
03/16/10
Maintaining the Unbreakable Bond  —Robert Wexler, former Congressman; president, S. Daniel Abraham Center for Middle East Peace. Interview with Middle East Progress.
03/11/10
First Reactions  —

Setting the Record Straight

U.S. and Israel Have Shared Interests

“I think it's a big deal. This is a fight that the White House has picked. … I think it surprised Netanyahu. Netanyahu apologized to Vice President Biden … And he expressed regret. … And they thought the thing had been put to bed … And then for some reason … the White House at the highest levels—the president decided let's make a big fuss about this … I do not know, honestly, why the president chose to pick a big public fight just when it was all dying down with Israel.”
—William Kristol, editor, Weekly Standard, Fox News Sunday, March 14, 2010versus
  • “[T]he president, the vice president, secretary of State did exactly the right thing for American interests and for Israel ... [F]irst of all, they were speaking for many secretaries of State, many presidents in the past who have had Israeli settlements shoved in their face before, during, and after a visit by Israel. ... So there's a lot of backstory here, this isn't just about that trip.“Then let's look at the moment we're in. We have an Israeli prime minister from the right who actually could deliver the right. He's done actually a lot of good things on the ground in the West Bank. You have to give him credit for that. We have the best Palestinian leadership we've had in a long time. And we have a Sunni Arab world obsessed with Iran, ready to work with Israel more than ever. You'd think in that context Israel could say to the United States, you know, ‘You're doing all this for us, we're just going to stop settlements in Jerusalem, in the West Bank, not temporarily, not moratorium. We're going to give you a chance to actually test the other side whether they're for real. ... Barack Obama, this Bud's for you. We're going to do this for the American people.’ Is that anti-Semitism, is that anti-Israelism, to ask that of an Israeli government, to ask, act first in its own interest and then in America's interest? I don't think so.”
    —Tom Friedman, columnist, The New York Times, Meet the Press, March 14, 2010
  • Middle East Analysis

    Upcoming Events

    The Road Forward on Middle East Peace

    Event: October 1, 2009 - 12:00pm-1:00pm

    Introduction:
    Winnie Stachelberg, Senior Vice President for External Affairs, Center for American Progress

    Featured speaker:
    Congressman Robert Wexler (D-FL)

    Moderated by:
    Moran Banai, U.S. Editor of Middle East Bulletin

    WATCH HERE