Israel's Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni
(L) talks with President Shimon Peres at the president's official
residence in Jerusalem Oct. 20, 2008 in this picture released by the
Israeli Government Press Office (GPO). (Xinhua/Reuters
Photo) Photo
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JERUSALEM, Oct. 27 (Xinhua) -- Israeli President
Shimon Peres Monday formally declared early parliamentary elections after a
failure of cabinet formation, which means outgoing Israeli Prime Minister Ehud
Olmert will remain in power as caretaker premier for several months.
Peres informed the decision to Knesset (parliament)
Speaker Dalia Itzik during the opening of the Knesset winter session in late
Monday afternoon, according to local daily the Jerusalem Post.
Peres told Itzik that the country would be holding
elections after it became clear that none of the Knesset factions were capable
of building a coalition.
Earlier Monday, the president met Knesset faction
representatives and they all told him that they supported holding elections as
soon as possible, except the GIL Pensioners Party which urged him to delay the
vote.
Peres' declaration came one day after Israeli Foreign
Minister Tzipi Livni, who is also ruling Kadima chairwoman, announced on Sunday
that she failed to form a coalition government and called for early general
elections.
Following Peres' announcement, Knesset has up to
three weeks to dissolve itself and set an election date, widely expected to be
scheduled for nest January or February.
During his speech, Peres presented the Knesset with
five questions he considered imperative for parties to answer before running for
representation in Israel's political system.
First on the president's list was the question of
national security. Peres asked his audience to dwell on how they could ensure
national security when considering all of the threats facing Israel.
The president then asked parties to consider their
role in the Israeli-Arab conflict, insisting that the 2002 Saudi Peace
Initiative was a huge step in distancing the Arab world from a concrete policy
of rejecting Israel's existence.
Most of the Arab leaders he has met with were
"unwilling to fall in line with Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's
imperialist approach to Islam," said Peres, adding that Egyptian President
Hossni Mubarak had made it clear that "a peace deal with the Palestinians will
inevitably lead to a larger peace agreement in the Middle East."
The other three questions Peres presented to the
lawmakers concern Israel's economic needs in wake of the international financial
crisis, the importance of solidarity in Israeli society and the role of Israel's
youth, which he considered "the future of the state."
OLMERT TO REMAIN IN POWER FOR SEVERAL MONTHS
Ever since Olmert's September resignation went into
effect and with it, the automatic resignation of his government, Olmert, who has
been enveloped in a series of corruption and fraud scandals, has been in charge
of a caretaker government.
After Peres' Monday declaration of early
parliamentary elections, Olmert's caretaker government will continue to remain
in power for several months until a new government is formed and wins the
support of a Knesset majority.
Speaking after Peres, Olmert congratulated Livni on
her efforts to form a coalition, saying, "I am sorry for the circumstances which
determined that the coalition negotiations would be unsuccessful...I had hoped
that a new government would be formed by the person who was voted in from
Kadima."
Olmert reminded the assembled lawmakers and guests
that the country would not be coming to a standstill in the coming months of
campaigning.
"Friends, members of Knesset (MKs)," he said, "even
if the MKs stop their parliamentary lives for a few months, the interests of the
state are not frozen...There are still challenges in the realm of defense."
The outgoing prime minister cited Palestinian
terrorism and the Iranian threat as two such challenges, saying that "the
leaders of Iran do not cease in their preparation of weapons of destruction
while we are preparing for elections...I recommend that they do not test us."
Turning to the family members of captured Israeli
soldier Gilad Shalit, who were present in the plenum, Olmert took the
opportunity to reiterate that he was still acting incessantly in an effort to
bring about Gilad's release, though insisting that he could not divulge the
nature of his effort.
The remainder of Olmert's speech was devoted to the
international financial crisis and the challenges facing Israel's economy. The
prime minister praised the country's financial robustness, insisting that
"Israel's coping with the crisis began in the years leading up to it, with a
series of steps taken that allowed the Shekel to become one of the strongest
currencies in the world."
However, it is no secret that the crisis can also
harm Israel's economy if Israel does not take careful measures, added
Olmert.
JERUSALEM, Oct. 27 (Xinhua) -- Israeli President Shimon
Peres Monday formally declared early parliamentary elections after a failure of
cabinet formation, local daily The Jerusalem Post reported on its website.
Peres informed the decision to Knesset (parliament)
Speaker Dalia Itzik during the opening of the Knesset winter session in late
Monday afternoon. Full story
JERUSALEM, Oct. 27 (Xinhua) -- With its ruling party
leader Tzipi Livni's failure to form a new government, Israel is now most likely
to plunge into another three-month political chaos till the early general
election.
The lingering political instability, together with
the continuing absence of a normal government, has stirred up widespread worries
that the last drops of hope would be wiped away for an Israeli-Palestinian peace
deal within this year. Full story
JERUSALEM, Oct. 26 (Xinhua) --
Israeli Prime Minister-designate Tzipi Livni, also ruling Kadima chairwoman,
announced on Sunday that she failed to form a coalition and called for early
general elections.
Livni, also Israel's foreign minister, made the
announcement at a press conference held at the president's residence in
Jerusalem, where she arrived at 5 p.m. (1500 GMT) to meet with Israeli President
Shimon Peres. Full story
JERUSALEM, Oct. 24 (Xinhua) -- Israeli Prime
Minister-designate Tzipi Livni received a strong blow in her cabinet-making
efforts on Friday, as the third largest party closed the door on the ruling
Kadima party leader.
The leadership of the Shas party, the Council of
Torah Sages, decided not to join a new government led by Livni, said the
ultra-Orthodox party in a statement, quoted by local news service Ynet, adding
that Livni would not meet its demands. Full story
