The Kadima Party led by acting Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has now won 28 seats in the 120-seat Knesset elections in a vote that hinged on his plan to draw the country's final borders through “unilateral withdrawal” from most of the West Bank including its vital aquifers and strategic depth. It reflects growing Israeli despair over the prospects for a negotiated settlement with the Palestinians. Israel now has twelve political parties with no mandate to govern at arguably one of the most critical moments in its history. Only 63.2% of Israel's voters bothered to show up on a day when fateful decisions should have drawn the entire country to the ballot box. FULL STORY
