Word: gaza
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...Olmert wanted to prolong the Gaza war to do more damage to Hamas, in the hope of repairing his legacy that had been badly tarnished during Israel's botched 2006 war in Lebanon and by police allegations of corruption. Livni and Barak, both of whom are running for Olmert's job, wanted to end it earlier. But the two candidates differed on how to end it: Barak, a former general himself and ex-premier, argued that a cease-fire concluded with Hamas would be more durable. But Livni argued for a unilateral pullout from Gaza, having dealt the territory...
...Still, Barak ended up ahead in this game of political Survivor. The latest polls show that most Israelis approved of the defense minister's cautious but methodical assault on Gaza, and his party's projected third-place share of the coming vote, according to polling by the Channel One news network, jumped from below 10 Knesset seats to around 15 seats. (In Israel, the party that wins the most seats in the 120-seat Knesset is tapped to form a government, and because the winner rarely attains a simple majority, it typically forms a coalition.) Livni's Kadima party, however...
...regardless of the outcome of the Olmert-Livni-Barak tussle within the war cabinet, the biggest winner from the Gaza campaign was Benyamin Netanyahu, leader of the hawkish opposition Likud party and front-runner in the polls, who watched the Gaza war from the sidelines and saw his own lead over Livni wider to a margin of 33 seats to her party...
...Israel public opinion has shifted steadily to the right of center, and polls show that most Israelis are dissatisfied with the outcome of the Gaza war - they wanted to see Hamas crushed and the safe return of Gilad Shalit, the Israeli soldier held captive by Hamas for two and a half years. Neither goal was achieved, allowing Netanyahu to smugly declare, in a recent visit to soldiers wounded in the Gaza fighting, "The IDF has dealt Hamas a severe blow, but unfortunately the job has not been complete." He added: "We cannot show any weakness in the face...
...with opponents closer to the center of the political spectrum, rather than aligning with parties even further to the right. That option could even see him offer Barak the job of defense minister again. The country's most decorated soldier, Barak allowed himself to be photographed often during the Gaza campaign in a black leather bomber jacket, poring over battle maps with his generals. This tough guy image sits well with Israelis, even if they were displeased that the Gaza war ended without Hamas' surrender. With Labor and Livni's Kadima on board, it may be possible for Netanyahu...