Israel: Livni Challenges Prime Minister Netanyahu's 100 Days

In Israel, the Netanyahu Government has concluded its first 100 days with the claim that it has "broad national consensus" for its concept of a two-state solution. Some, however, are still to be convinced.

Tzipi Livni, the head of the opposition Kadima Party, laid out the challenge:

The prime minister still does not really believe that this is the right path for Israel but he understands that this is the right thing to say… Netanyahu doesn't really believe that two states, a Jewish state and a Palestinian state, even a demilitarized one, is an Israeli interest… But the prime minister was surprised to encounter the outside world and placed Israel, to my great sorrow, in the position of the party that is rejecting peace and then he understood that at this stage he needs to utter the words "two states".

Speaking to Army Radio, Livni called Netanyahu’s new-found support for a two-state solution  “the height of hypocrisy”:

Everything this government does is superficial… When the public looks at Bibi, it understands that he is playing with words, that there is no process here… This is a government that is trying to survive, that zigzags, that is not dealing with the financial crisis.

To some extent, of course, Livni's position stems from domestic political calculations. The more ground that the Netanyahu Government gives because pressure from the Obama Administration, the better placed Livni will be within the context of a Washington-led settlement. If progress is slow, which is what the Obama Administration is also expecting, the Kadima leader's challenge will be even more important for the US. So Livni, having lost to Netanyahu in March, may already be plotting her domestic and international revenge.

Israel’s Plan B on Iran: Paralyzing Sanctions?

After U.S. Vice President Joe Biden stated last week that Israel would decide for itself whether to attack Iran, a senior Israeli government official offered a "Plan B" of paralyzing sanctions against Tehran as soon as it is established that there is no hope for a dialogue: "Israel is adjusting its messages to the new circumstances created by the unrest in Iran… These things must be stated clearly now so that there is no confusion about our position.”

The official added:

Before the protests in Iran began, Israel's assessment was that the planned American-Iranian dialogue had little chance of succeeding. But in light of the protests, and the need of Iranian hard-liners to shore up their rule, Israel's intelligence community believes the chances of the dialogue even beginning, much less succeeding, are near zero… In the situation that has arisen following the protests in Iran, there is much greater international readiness for harsh steps against the regime in Tehran.

However US officials reportedly have again rejected Israel’s Plan B because the groundwork for stiffer sanctions would signal that the Obama Administration is not serious about dialogue with Tehran.

So back to Square One. What is Tel Aviv's next step in the manoeuvres between the US and Iran?