After signing an agreement on Wednesday morning with Labor Party leader Ehud Barak, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert may breathe a sigh of relief, having bought additional time in office after successfully eliminating any chance of the dissolution vote in Knesset from passing today. As such, the planned vote on the bill has been indefinitely pushed off.

In accordance with the agreement, Kadima will elect a new party leader no later than September 25th. A Kadima faction meeting will be held on Monday to amend the party’s charter to permit primary elections. The party’s governing body will approve the amended charter ten days later as well as setting a date for the primary election.

Both Labor and Kadima are patting themselves on their backs for “contributing to the stability of the government coalition,” which translates to Olmert receiving a last-minute reprieve and Barak avoiding elections, a move that will oust him from his senior cabinet post.

Likud officials released a statement calling on Labor to explain just how the party permits itself to serve in the non-functioning government of PM Olmert. Shas was quick to call for the increase in monthly child allowance payments, stating it will not support any interim government that fails to comply with this demand. (Yechiel Spira – YWN Israel)