Daily News Channel
Prime Minister-designate Benjamin Netanyahu, running out of time to form a coalition government, was granted a 14-day extension Friday by Israeli President Shimon Peres. Netanyahu has been negotiating with Labour Party leader Ehud Barak to try to broaden what would be a Likud-led coalition. The Labour Party is expected to meet on Tuesday to discuss Netanyahu’s offer and to vote on whether to join his government
Iran is calling for the arrests of 15 Israeli leaders, including Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, on charges of war crimes in Gaza.
Israel’s two largest parties each claimed a mandate early Wednesday after exit polls showed a surprise first-place finish by the ruling Kadima party and dramatic gains by its conservative rivals. Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni’s failure to assemble a ruling coalition for Kadima last year triggered Tuesday’s elections. But she told supporters after the vote that the narrow edge Kadima appears to have held over the conservative Likud shows her party is “the common denominator of Israeli society.” Livni called on Likud leader Benjamin Netanyahu “to respect the choice of Israel’s citizens …