Israel's Upcoming PM Elections

Ben Smith writes about Israel's political process in view of the upcoming PM election there. What will be interesting to see is how the current conflict between Israel and Hamas will impact the election. Smith's article reports that Barak's Labor Party has already witnessed gains in the polls at the expense of Netanyahu's Likud. However, Smith notes that

"Despite the international preoccupation with the slow-burning conflict with the Palestinians, the focus had been on domestic policy. Netanyahu’s service as finance minister in the boom years of 2003 to 2005 has given him great strength on economic issues."

Were Netanyahu to win the election, this would prove an interesting challenge to U.S. foreign policymakers, as the former Israeli Prime Minister has been a consistent critic of the two state solution. Check out the article here. And be sure to check out the humorous "Livni Boy" video that Smith links to there.