Israeli politicians avert early elections

Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert staved off a key coalition partner's threat to bring down the government, giving him at least a few more months to pursue peace agreements with the Palestinians and Syria. But the last-minute deal could bring his political demise later this year. In a pre-dawn agreement reached early Wednesday, Olmert's Kadima Party told the Labor Party that it will hold primary elections by Sept. 25. The primary is likely to oust Olmert as Kadima leader. The Kadima pledge prompted Labor to rescind its support for a motion to dissolve the parliament, which had been expected to pass within hours. The deal came a month after Olmert's popularity was dealt a severe blow by a U.S. businessman's testimony in a corruption case against the Israeli leader. The businessman said he handed hundreds of thousands of... [read full story]