What's the Verdict in Israel? - By Josh Marshall

Livni: “The ties between capital, government and [gambling] chips are destroying our vital relationship with the United States and undermining Israel’s security. Netanyahu and Adelson conceal the amount of money spent on Israel Hayom’s election propaganda. Adelson is a casino magnate who, with his billions, controls the Republicans in the United States, and here, he controls Netanyahu. And as in a puppet show, he pulls the political strings both there and here.”

Tzipi Livni is the number two candidate on the 'Zionist Camp' ticket. In effect she is running as a joint ticket with the Labor Party, headed by Yitzhak Herzog.

After yesterday's speech by Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu, establishment Washington was positively gaga for Netanyahu, his speech and what many were suspecting was its game-changing nature. Personally, I hope this is not the case. From a dispassionate view, I'm skeptical, in part because official Washington tends to get these things wrong. The more immediate question however is how it plays in Israel. That is where the story could be confirmed or dramatically changed in only a few weeks.

I've been meaning for a while to update you on the progress of the election and what the polls are showing.

The gist is that the Zionist Camp/Labor started out with a thin lead and saw it drift away through some mix of an anemic campaign and hostilities to the north. Then in mid-February, the numbers started to move back in Labor's direction.

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