The leaders of the various political factions in the Knesset, the Israeli parliament, agreed that new elections will take place on March 17, 2015, in a meeting with Knesset speaker Yuli Edelstein on Wednesday morning.

“We mustn’t abuse the public. We cannot take our time,” Edelstein said during the meeting. The date must be approved by the factions before it becomes official.

During the meeting with Edelstein, Likud and Jewish Home faction leaders requested a March 10 election date, Labour called for March 17, the ultra-Orthodox parties asked for March 24, while the Arab parties sought to delay the vote until May, the Ynet news site reported.

Speaking after the meeting, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told Likud Knesset members that the party needed to secure “a large faction in the next elections.”

“This is my main lesson from the outgoing government,” he said.

Netanyahu on Tuesday launched a fierce assault on his coalition partners ministers Yair Lapid (Finance) and Tzipi Livni, accused them of attempting a “putsch” to oust him, fired them both, and announced (Justice) that he would dissolve his government ahead of early elections.

Members of the Yesh Atid party tendered their resignations from the cabinet shortly thereafter.

In a press conference, Netanyahu said that the situation in the cabinet was such that it was “impossible” for him to lead the country.

“I wanted the broadest possible government,” he said of the aftermath of the 2013 elections, asserting that his previous coalition was “one of the best and most stable” in the history of the country. But because his Likud party did not receive “enough seats,” he found himself saddled with an “adversarial” cabinet that was unworkable from the start, and was plagued by “incessant attacks from within the government.”

“It’s impossible to do all the things that are important for the security and welfare of the citizens of Israel” with the current government, Netanyahu said.

He then accused both Livni and Lapid of playing “old politics” and said that they had conspired against him. He listed several instances in which Lapid and Livni defied him and “undermined” his rule — on policies relating to Iran, the Palestinians, and building in East Jerusalem.

Livni, in an interview with Channel 10 immediately after Netanyahu’s press conference, accused the prime minister of cowardice in firing her over the phone rather than in person, saying that he “didn’t even dare to look me in the eye to fire me.”

Outgoing Science Minister Yaakov Peri called Netanyahu’s speech “timid, cowardly and borderline hysterical,” while outgoing Education Minister Shai Piron said the prime minister’s address was “cowardly and bad.”

“”e have no choice but to join the finance minister and justice minister because there’s no point in a government that rules aggressively, a government without a future or hope,” Piron said in tendering his resignation. “I hoped, until last night, that things would change, but there was someone who wanted it differently.”

Livni, in an interview with Channel 10 immediately after Netanyahu’s press conference, accused the Prime Minister of cowardice in firing her over the phone rather than in person, saying that he “didn’t even dare to look me in the eye to fire me.”

Snap polls by the two major television stations indicated that if elections were to be held today, Netanyahu’s Likud party would make gains at the expense of Lapid’s and Livni’s parties. According to a Channel 10 poll, Likud would win 22 seats, Jewish Home 17, Labor 13, Yisrael Beytenu 12, Moshe Kahlon’s as-yet-unnamed party 12, Yesh Atid nine, the ultra-Orthodox United Torah Judaism eight, Shas seven, Meretz seven, Hatnua four and the Arab parties nine.

A similar survey by Channel 2 showed Likud with 22, Jewish Home 17, Labor 13, Kahlon and Yisrael Beytenu with 10 apiece, Yesh Atid with nine, Shas with nine, United Torah Judaism with eight, Meretz with seven, Hatnua with four, and the Arab parties with 11.

Both polls would have made pleasant reading for Netanyahu, showing a strengthening of the right, and numerous potential coalition options for him.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addresses the press to announce new elections, Tuesday, December 2, 2014. (photo credit: Emil Salman/POOL)

The outgoing justice minister said that she had “contempt” for Netanyahu. “I just hope Israeli citizens won’t fall for this,” she said of his accusations at the press conference. “This was all about [bolstering his position in] the Likud.”

Snap polls by the two major television stations indicated that if elections were to be held today, Netanyahu’s Likud party would make gains at the expense of Lapid’s and Livni’s parties. According to a Channel 10 poll, Likud would win 22 seats, Jewish Home 17, Labor 13, Yisrael Beytenu 12, Moshe Kahlon’s as-yet-unnamed party 12, Yesh Atid nine, the ultra-Orthodox United Torah Judaism eight, Shas seven, Meretz seven, Hatnua four and the Arab parties nine.

A similar survey by Channel 2 showed Likud with 22, Jewish Home 17, Labor 13, Kahlon and Yisrael Beytenu with 10 apiece, Yesh Atid with nine, Shas with nine, United Torah Judaism with eight, Meretz with seven, Hatnua with four, and the Arab parties with 11.

Both polls would have made pleasant reading for Netanyahu, showing a strengthening of the right, and numerous potential coalition options for him.

Read more: New elections called for March 17, 2015 | The Times of Israel http://www.timesofisrael.com/new-elections-called-for-march-17-2015/#ixzz3KpJ4dH9n
Follow us: @timesofisrael on Twitter | timesofisrael on Facebook

Israel to go to the polls after Netanyahu sacks Lapid, Livni

Israel is set for a spring general election after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu yesterday effectively ended his coalition government by sacking Finance Minister Yair Lapid and Justice Minister Tzipi Livni.

Recent divisions in Netanyahu’s coalition peaked last week when Lapid’s Yesh Atid and Livni’s Hatnuah factions virulently opposed the controversial so-called ‘Jewish State’ bill, which opponents say would denigrate minority communities. There is also serious disagreement over economic policy including the 2015 budget, which is yet to be authorized by the Knesset. Talks between Netanyahu and Lapid on Monday night to calm coalition tensions ended in acrimony.

Early yesterday evening Netanyahu sacked both Lapid and Livni, with the remaining Yesh Atid ministers resigning just hours later. At a subsequent press conference, Netanyahu sharply criticised their ministerial opposition from within government, saying that Lapid and Livni “tried to overthrow me.” He claimed that “they attempted to entice the ultra-Orthodox parties into deposing the prime minister while sitting in government,” in what Netanyahu called a “putsch.” He continued, saying that, “The country cannot be run in the current situation. Elections are not a good thing, but a government that is attacked from inside is seven times as bad.”

In an immediate response, Livni told Channel Ten that Netanyahu “didn’t even dare to look me in the eye to fire me,” accusing him of cowardice. She said that to the best of her knowledge, Netanyahu had himself attempted to strike a deal with ultra-Orthodox factions to support a future government under his leadership. Summarising, Livni explained, “This was all about [bolstering Netanyahu’s position in] the Likud Party.”

A Yesh Atid statement accused Netanyahu of a “haphazard move” which showed “loss of control.” Saying that Netanyahu had “failed in his management of the country,”the statement continued, “We are sad to see that the prime minister has chosen to act without consideration for the national interest and to drag Israel to unnecessary elections.”

Snap polls by the two major television stations indicated that if elections were to be held today, Netanyahu’s Likud party would make gains at the expense of Lapid’s and Livni’s parties. According to a Channel 10 poll, Likud would win 22 seats, Jewish Home 17, Labor 13, Yisrael Beytenu 12, Moshe Kahlon’s as-yet-unnamed party 12, Yesh Atid nine, the ultra-Orthodox United Torah Judaism eight, Shas seven, Meretz seven, Hatnua four and the Arab parties nine.

A similar survey by Channel 2 showed Likud with 22, Jewish Home 17, Labor 13, Kahlon and Yisrael Beytenu with 10 apiece, Yesh Atid with nine, Shas with nine, United Torah Judaism with eight, Meretz with seven, Hatnua with four, and the Arab parties with 11.

Both polls would have made pleasant reading for Netanyahu, showing a strengthening of the right, and numerous potential coalition options for him.

source:EIPA