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Benjamin Netanyahu - Source: Reuters -
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Benjamin Netanyahu's Likud party has chosen hardliners to lead
its parliamentary candidates' list in Israel's coming election,
dealing a blow to the former prime minister's victory
strategy.
Netanyahu, tipped by opinion polls to win the February 10 national
ballot, had hoped to run alongside key moderates and celebrities he
recently recruited to right-wing Likud and draw voters away from
the centrist, ruling Kadima party.
But results on Tuesday of an internal vote held on Monday showed
the top 20 spots on Likud's candidate roster dominated by outspoken
supporters of Jewish settlement expansion in the occupied West Bank
and opponents of Israel's 2005 Gaza pullout.
They included Benny Begin, the son of late Prime Minister Menachem
Begin, Moshe Yaalon, a former chief of staff of the armed forces,
and Moshe Feiglin, a settler who heads Likud's far-right
wing.
"It will not be possible to conduct a diplomatic process or even
talk about a diplomatic process with such a hawkish list," said
Yoav Krakovsky, Israel Radio's political affairs.
The most recent opinion poll, published last week, predicted Likud
would win 35 of parliament's 120 seats, compared with 26 for its
closest rival, Kadima, led by Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni.
Although candidate lists are an important factor in Israeli
elections, the contests largely hinge on the popularity of party
leaders - and Netanyahu's ratings in opinion surveys have been
high.
Political analyst Hanan Crystal said Netanyahu had hoped a less
hawkish profile for Likud would help the party capture more centre
ground from Kadima, which has been slipping in the polls since
October.
"Netanyahu understands that battle lines with Kadima have been
drawn in the fight for ... the 10 to 15 parliamentary seats
determined by votes from the moderate right and centre," Crystal
said on Israel Radio.
Netanyahu put a positive face on the results, calling the list the
best possible in a speech to party loyalists and vowing to improve
security, strengthen the economy and continue a responsible
diplomatic process with Palestinians.
Netanyahu, prime minister from 1996 to 1999, has said he would
focus on strengthening the Palestinian economy rather than on
territorial issues that current US-brokered statehood talks have
failed to resolve.
Tzahi Hanegbi, a senior Kadima legislator and campaign strategist,
said the real Likud had emerged from the party election.
"Netanyahu's dream team became his nightmare. The stars are out and
the rebels are in," Hanegbi said.
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