Israel's Livni sets deadline to form coalition

Delay will mean new elections

By Aron Heller, ASSOCIATED PRESS | Friday, October 24, 2008

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JERUSALEM | Israeli Prime Minister-designate Tzipi Livni on Thursday gave potential coalition partners three days to join a new government under her leadership or face the prospect of new elections.

Mrs. Livni, who has until Nov. 3 to put together a parliamentary majority, informed Israeli President Shimon Peres of her decision.

"I know that you have to pay and I am willing to pay prices to form a government," she told Kadima Party members at their headquarters Thursday.

"But I am not willing to pay any price or to cross a line I deem to be irresponsible."

Since being elected to head the Kadima Party last month, Mrs. Livni has met almost daily with potential partners who have made stiff demands in exchange for their support.

Mrs. Livni has already secured the backing of the left-of-center Labor party, after promising that its leader, Ehud Barak, would serve as her top deputy. She also is likely to keep the Pensioners Party in the government.

But the ultra-Orthodox Shas party wants Mrs. Livni to promise she will not negotiate over the future of Jerusalem - a condition that would make a final peace deal with the Palestinians impossible.

Mrs. Livni could turn to the smaller, dovish Meretz party - which has expressed willingness to join the government. But that would still leave her with a minority government and alienate hawkish members of her own party.

No single party has an outright majority in the 120-seat parliament.

Under Israeli law, if Mrs. Livni does not form a coalition by Nov. 3, the country will almost certainly face early elections, more than a year ahead of schedule.

Mr. Peres could ask another politician to try to form a government.

However, as leader of the largest party in parliament, Mrs. Livni is the only candidate with a realistic chance of doing so.

Opinion polls have indicated the hawkish Likud party would sweep to power if elections were held now.

Kadima chose Mrs. Livni, 50, a month ago to succeed Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, who is leaving office to fight corruption charges.

Mrs. Livni, a former lawyer and one-time Mossad agent, could become Israel's second female prime minister after Golda Meir, who served from 1969 to 1974.

Meanwhile, a Palestinian man stabbed two Israelis in East Jerusalem on Thursday, killing an 86-year-old man and wounding a police officer. Police shot and seriously wounded the man.

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