Word: knesset
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...star Cliff Richard to Israel at the same time, warned the authorities that the mop-haired Beatles would exert a dangerous influence on Israeli youth. Mindful of preserving the moral purity of the next generation, Israel's leaders canceled the show under pressure from conservative members of the Knesset. When a hoard of unused tickets to the ill-fated Beatles' concert was found a few years ago, they become hotly pursued collectors' items for wistful Israelis of a certain age. "Our generation grew up on the Beatles culture, but we didn't feel a part of it," says historian...
...onerous task of forging a new coalition from among the 13 parties in the Knesset, Israel's parliament, will be taken on by Tzipi Livni, Olmert's Foreign Minister and his replacement as the newly elected head of the centrist Kadima party...
Olmert's departure, though long awaited, has plunged Israeli politics into turmoil. One Haaretz columnist joked that Livni would have an easier time recruiting enemy Syria to her side than trying to woo over rebellious Knesset members. His remarks come after a Damascus daily glowingly referred to her as a "Mossad beauty" because Livni, now 50, had served as a junior Israeli spy in Europe during the 1980s...
...Livni was trying to shore up support over the weekend for a new government. She already faces one handicap: she emerged as Kadima chairwoman after a bruising leadership battle that has left her party divided. Livni has 42 days to form a new coalition representing 61 of the 120 Knesset seats. If she fails, under Israeli law, President Peres will turn to another politician - most likely Benjamin Netanyahu of Likud, the conservative opposition party - to see if he fares any better. If not, Israel could face general elections within 90 days...
Still, the White House's peace plan has a better chance under Livni than with the more conservative Likud. Netanyahu says he opposes Israel's current peace talks with Palestinians and, through indirect channels, with Syria. Polls show that his hawkish party could scoop up many more Knesset seats if the President calls for early elections. So it is likely, say political advisers, that Netanyahu will make it tough for Livni to cobble a coalition together. Right now, Netanyahu lacks support from other parties that would make it possible for him to form a coalition if she fails...