Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Defense Minister Ehud Barak reached a deal.
Prime Minister Ehud Olmert succeeded at the last minute in breaking the Knesset majority in favor of dissolving the 17th Knesset in the vote scheduled for today. In a compromise with Labor Party chairman Minister of Defense Ehud Barak, the Kadima Party primaries will be brought forward to no later than September 25, and Labor Party MKs will vote against the bill to dissolve the Knesset.
Before the compromise, 64 MKs were in favor of the bill and 49 MKs were against it. However, political sources expected that a compromise would be reached to avert the showdown.
Published by Globes [online], Israel business news - www.globes-online.com - on June 25, 2008
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