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| Version 1 | Version 2 |
|---|---|
| Israel's Olmert averts early poll | Israel's Olmert averts early poll |
| (10 minutes later) | |
| Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has struck a last-minute deal with the Labour party to save his coalition and avert fresh elections. | Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has struck a last-minute deal with the Labour party to save his coalition and avert fresh elections. |
| Labour's leader, Defence Minister Ehud Barak, has agreed not to support an opposition bill to dissolve parliament. | Labour's leader, Defence Minister Ehud Barak, has agreed not to support an opposition bill to dissolve parliament. |
| In return, Mr Olmert has pledged to hold elections for a new leader of his Kadima party by September. | In return, Mr Olmert has pledged to hold elections for a new leader of his Kadima party by September. |
| Mr Olmert is under investigation for alleged corruption and Mr Barak hasrecently called for his resignation. | |
| Mr Olmert denies wrongdoing and has not been charged. He has also said he will not resign unless he is indicted. | Mr Olmert denies wrongdoing and has not been charged. He has also said he will not resign unless he is indicted. |
| However, as of now, it is highly likely that Mr Olmert will lose the leadership vote, and Israel will have a new prime minister come September, says the BBC's Tim Franks in Jerusalem. | However, as of now, it is highly likely that Mr Olmert will lose the leadership vote, and Israel will have a new prime minister come September, says the BBC's Tim Franks in Jerusalem. |
| Uncertainty | Uncertainty |
| Israel Radio said the Likud party was withdrawing the bill rather than risk seeing it voted down, which under parliamentary procedure would mean a delay on when it could be brought to the Knesset again. | Israel Radio said the Likud party was withdrawing the bill rather than risk seeing it voted down, which under parliamentary procedure would mean a delay on when it could be brought to the Knesset again. |
| Mr Olmert had warned Mr Barak that he would fire Labour ministers if they joined forces with Likud leader Binyamin Netanyahu to pass the bill. | |
| Both Mr Olmert and Mr Barak trail hawkish ex-Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in opinion polls. | Both Mr Olmert and Mr Barak trail hawkish ex-Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in opinion polls. |
| Mr Olmert's hopes for survival now rest in large part on his lawyers, in three weeks' time, cross-examining the man who claims to have funnelled $150,000 (£76,000) to Mr Olmert in improper campaign financing. | Mr Olmert's hopes for survival now rest in large part on his lawyers, in three weeks' time, cross-examining the man who claims to have funnelled $150,000 (£76,000) to Mr Olmert in improper campaign financing. |
| In the meantime, as long as Israeli politics remain turbulent, so uncertainty will continue to cloud Israel's relationships with the Palestinians and the rest of the region. | In the meantime, as long as Israeli politics remain turbulent, so uncertainty will continue to cloud Israel's relationships with the Palestinians and the rest of the region. |