Subject: Morning Brief: Netanyahu clings to power amid a disappointing Likud showing
From: "Foreign Policy Magazine" <[email-masked]>
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Date: Wed, 23 Jan 2013 09:22:12 -0500 (EST)

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FP Passport Morning Brief
Wednesday, January 23, 2013
Netanyahu clings to power amid a disappointing Likud showing
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*Top news: *Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu likely suceeded [1] in  
holding on to power in Israeli parliamentary elections but emerged from the  
polls significantly weakened after his right-wing coalition lost seats in the  
Knesset, according to exit polls. With nearly all the votes counted, early  
reports indicate [2] that each block received 60 of parliament's 120 seats,  
but because certain Arab parties are excluded from coalition building, it is  
likely Netanyahu will be asked to form a coalition government and retain his  
hold on the premiership.

The vote represents a powerful rebuke of Netanyahu, who called the election  
with the expectation that he would cruise to victory and consolidate  
political power with a right-wing coalition. The election's biggest victor is  
Yair Lapid, the leader of the centrist party, Yesh Atid, which won 19 seats  
in the legislature, second only to Likud's 31. A political newcomer, Lapid  
ran a charismatic and centrist campaign focused on domestic issues and on a  
call to integrate Israel's ultra-orthodox population, which has been growing  
at a rapid pace in recent years, into the army and workforce.

The messy process of coalition building now begins, and while Netanyahu is  
likely to remain as prime minister, he will have to cobble together a  
coalition on the heels of a humiliating election defeat. Netanyahu, who said  
he would like to form a broad coalition government, called Lapid and told him  
that "we have the opportunity to do great things together."

In remarks to his supporters after the announcement of initial results, Lapid  
sounded a similar note of unity, raising the possibility that a broad  
coalition government may be formed. "I call on the leaders of the political  
establishment to work with me together, to the best of their ability to form  
as broad a government as possible that will contain moderate forces from the  
left and right, the right and the left, so that we will truly be able to  
bring about real change," Lapid said.

*United Kingdom: *British Prime Minister David Cameron said [3] that he would  
offer a referendum on continued UK membership in the European Union after his  
government has negotiated concessions in the terms of the country's  
membership. Cameron's Tories face an electoral challenge from the right in  
the UK Independence Party, which has been gaining in the polls recently and  
threatens to unseat the Conservative government. But the remarks, which came  
in a long-awaited speech and were aimed at shoring up the Conservative flank,  
elicited furrowed brows in European capitals. "You cannot do Europe à la  
carte,” said French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius. "Imagine the E.U. was  
a soccer club: once you’ve joined up and you’re in this club, you can’t  
then say you want to play rugby."

------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Middle East

 * Russia began [4] evacuating its citizens from Syria, the latest indication
   of increasing skepticism in Moscow that the Syrian regime will maintain
   its grip on power.
 * Algerian forces searched [5] the Sahara Desert for five foreign workers
   who disappeared during a hostage drama at a natural gas complex.
 * Jordanians are heading [6] to the polls today to decide a parliamentary
   election boycotted by the largest opposition parties.

Asia

 * On the heels of a U.N. Security Council decision to tighten sanctions,
   North Korea hinted [7] that it might conduct a test of a nuclear weapon.
 * Amid escalating tensions between India and Pakistan, Indian officials
   warned [8] residents of war-torn Kashmir to prepare for a possible nuclear
   war.
 * Former Chinese President Jiang Zemin relinquished [9] his position in the
   formal Chinese pecking order as he steps back during the country's ongoing
   political transition.

Africa

 * The United States began [10] airlifting French forces to the Malian
   capital of Bamako in support of France's ongoing military operations in
   Mali.
 * Gunmen suspected to be members of Boko Haram killed [11] at least 23
   people in separate attacks in northeastern Nigeria.
 * Former Liberian President Charles Taylor began [12] his appeal of the
   50-year sentence delivered against him for war crimes.

Europe

 * European finance ministers have given the green light [13] for 11 eurozone
   members to develop a financial transactions tax aimed at stemming
   speculative trading.
 * France and Germany marked [14] the 50th anniversary of the Elysee Treaty,
   which helped reconcile the two formerly bitter enemies.
 * Three men have been arrested [15] in connection with a Rotterdam art heist
   last October.

Americas

 * Venezuelan government officials said [16] President Hugo Chavez is in good
   spirits and recovering but declined to say when the embattled president
   would return from Cuba.
 * U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton will testify [17] today on Capitol
   Hill about the attacks on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi, Libya.
 * Water supply in the Chilean capital of Santiago is being restored [18]
   after flash flooding forced the closure of sanitation plants and left some
   two million people without water.

/-By Elias Groll /

Getty

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[1] http://www.nytimes.com/2013/01/23/world/middleeast/israel-votes-in-election-likely-to-retain-netanyahu.html?nl=todaysheadlines&emc=edit_th_20130123&_r=0&pagewanted=all
[2] http://news.yahoo.com/israeli-pm-netanyahu-scrambles-keep-job-085213051.html
[3] http://www.nytimes.com/2013/01/24/world/europe/cameron-britain-referendum-european-union.html?pagewanted=1&_r=0
[4] http://news.yahoo.com/russia-starts-evacuating-nationals-syria-030628569.html
[5] http://news.yahoo.com/algeria-scours-sahara-5-missing-foreigners-182253395--finance.html
[6] http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-21158713
[7] http://www.nytimes.com/2013/01/24/world/asia/north-korea-hints-at-new-nuclear-test.html
[8] http://www.nytimes.com/2013/01/23/world/asia/indian-officials-advise-preparations-for-possible-war.html?nl=todaysheadlines&emc=edit_th_20130123
[9] http://news.yahoo.com/china-elder-jiang-zemin-takes-public-step-back-085921070.html
[10] http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-21153272
[11] http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-21152122
[12] http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-21134892
[13] http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-21138494
[14] http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-21136315
[15] http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-21151103
[16] http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/the_americas/brother-of-chavez-says-leaders-return-to-venezuela-is-up-to-medical-team/2013/01/21/584557ca-642a-11e2-889b-f23c246aa446_story.html
[17] http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-250_162-57565304/in-final-days-as-secretary-of-state-clinton-faces-benghazi-grilling/
[18] http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-21148402
[19] http://www.foreignpolicy.com/articles/2013/01/22/flyover_country
[20] http://www.foreignpolicy.com/articles/2013/01/22/obamas_moment_of_truth_on_iran
[21] http://www.foreignpolicy.com/articles/2013/01/22/deconstructing_afghanistan
[22] http://www.foreignpolicy.com/articles/2013/01/22/building_blocks
[23] http://www.foreignpolicy.com/articles/2013/01/22/life_in_south_kordofan_war_zone_sudan
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[28] http://blog.foreignpolicy.com/posts/2013/01/22/america_was_made_for_this_moment_and_so_was_brazil_and_canada
[29] http://www.foreignpolicy.com/articles/2013/01/22/deconstructing_afghanistan
[30] http://blog.foreignpolicy.com/posts/2013/01/22/why_is_it_so_hard_to_predict_israeli_elections
[31] http://www.foreignpolicy.com/articles/2013/01/22/building_blocks
[32] http://www.foreignpolicy.com/national_security_newsletter_signup
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