Israels Next PM?

With Olmert resigning his position as Prime Minister, Kadima primaries will be held on September 17th to determine the new leader of the party, who will also be the country’s new Prime Minister (if he/she succeeds in forming a coalition government).

Who will lead Israel? It comes down two Tzipi Linvi and Shaul Mofaz in the Kadima primaries, and if the new Kadima leader is unable to form a coalition, then general elections will be held, in which Benjamin “Bibi” Netanyahu is favored.

Livni, the Olmert administration’s lead negotiator with the Palestinian Authority, is widely perceived as free of the corruption problems that have plagued other members of Olmert’s Cabinet. But her limited national security experience at a time when Israel faces the crucial question of whether or not to launch a pre-emptive strike against Iran’s nuclear facilities is seen as a significant weakness.

Mofaz, conversely, as a former defense minister and former army chief of staff, has substantial security experience. He is the Olmert administration’s point man on strategic negotiations with the United States, which have been focused on Iran’s suspected nuclear weapons program.

But Mofaz is seen as an uncharismatic politician, and he hasn’t been able to close the gap in polls against his rivals in Kadima nor other parties. Were he to win, the Iranian-born Mofaz would be Israel’s first non-Ashkenazi prime minister.

I personally favor Mofaz because, as the article states, he has more experience in national security – and right now Israel (as always) is facing many threats, prominently from Iran and their nuclear program. However, if it comes down to the general elections, like Eric, I will support Netanyahu.