now this is what you call spreading democracy around the world, right wing politics on the decline and being forced to look at the people not their wallets.
Israel's national elections Tuesday left the Obama administration and its allies with a new prospect: A weakened Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, whose years of testiness and occasional confrontation with President Barack Obama failed to prevent the rise of a new centrist party.Israel's election — and the emergence as the country's second-largest party of Yesh Atid, led former television personality Yair Lapid — were driven largely by domestic economic and social issues.But it surprised many who had anticipated the victory of a militant right wing bloc. And Washington was scrambling Tuesday to process what appears to be a new, more centrist coalition in a year that could test American-Israeli relations over a brewing conflict with Iran and an American desire to move toward Palestinian statehood.According to the Israel's Channel 2, with 95% of votes counted, Likud-Beiteinu had won 31 seats, while Lapid's party won 19, and Labor won 17."The net impact is that a broader coalition may provide more openings as part of a renewal of peace negotiations with the Palestinians," said David Makovsky, the director of the Project on the Middle East Peace Process at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, though he also predicted protracted bargaining in the "Rubik's cube" of Israeli coalition politics.
saber rattling IMO was creating their opposition at time with this admin. nothing new from continent to continent, right wing absorption is now being diluted
"Another incentive for a wider coalition is the biggest issue in play between Washington and Israel this year is Iran," Makovsky said. "Accordingly, Israel will need to prioritize relations with the Obama administration towards reaching a successful resolution."
That fact, and Lapid's demand that negotiations be restarted with Palestinian leaders, have offered backers of the peace process a rare reason for optimism.
"I think Netanyahu forming a coalition with partners who demand peace negotiations with Palestinians, that's good for Obama," said Peace Now spokesman Ori Nir.
And while Obama may have been burned once too often by the difficult politics of Israel and Palestinian, the eternally optimistic peace processers are hoping for a new champion: His incoming Secretary of State, Senator John Kerry.
the republicans should take a note or two from this Pres. instead of passing them under the table.
consider where this would be if Romney was in place calling for armed preventive intervention, scary huh?
