Word: netanyahu
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...Golda Meir. Livni, a 50-year-old lawyer and former low-level Mossad agent with only about a decade of political experience, won her moderate Kadima party's elections on Sept. 17 and now has about six weeks to put together a majority coalition. She faces resistance from Benjamin Netanyahu's conservative Likud party, which opposes her recent peace talks with the Palestinians...
...handicap: she emerged as Kadima chairwoman after a bruising leadership battle that has left her party divided. Livni has 42 days to form a new coalition representing 61 of the 120 Knesset seats. If she fails, under Israeli law, President Peres will turn to another politician - most likely Benjamin Netanyahu of Likud, the conservative opposition party - to see if he fares any better. If not, Israel could face general elections within 90 days...
Still, the White House's peace plan has a better chance under Livni than with the more conservative Likud. Netanyahu says he opposes Israel's current peace talks with Palestinians and, through indirect channels, with Syria. Polls show that his hawkish party could scoop up many more Knesset seats if the President calls for early elections. So it is likely, say political advisers, that Netanyahu will make it tough for Livni to cobble a coalition together. Right now, Netanyahu lacks support from other parties that would make it possible for him to form a coalition if she fails...
...Each candidate is likely to seek different allies in order to forge a coalition. Mofaz would be expected to try to form a coalition with parties to the right. But that would not include the Likud party of Benyamin Netanyahu, the hawkish ex-premier who wants to hasten Kadima's demise because he thinks - and polls agree - that he would win a general election. Livni, by contrast, would tilt Kadima leftward, scooping up the far-left party Meretz and possibly an ultra-orthodox party, to gain a slim majority in the 120-seat Knesset...
...party primaries, which start on Sept. 17. Olmert's successor would then try to form a new coalition government; if he or she fails, Israel will face early elections. According to polls, a fresh election could restore to power the rightwing Likud party, led by ex-Prime Minister Benyamin Netanyahu...