On Israel's political battlefield, a female contender rises
Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni has emerged as an unlikely rival to embattled Prime Minister Ehud Olmert.
from the May 7, 2007 edition
Page 3 of 3
While one commentator joked that she was more suited to be the leader of the Israel Women's Network, columnist Sima Kadmon of Yediot Ahronot newspaper likened her to a rabbit caught in the headlights. "She suddenly stopped and froze in place. Hesitated. Panicked. Unsure," wrote Ms. Kadmon. Livni "proved that she is far from being ready to be prime minister. An honest politician is definitely good news, but it is not enough to run a country."
Though observers say Livni missed an opportunity to topple Olmert, the Winograd's final report on the war, expected by the end of the summer, could provide her with another chance. "This isn't the end of it," says Akiva Eldar, a veteran political columnist for Haaretz newspaper. "She can be a killer. Don't forget she was four years in the Mossad. Don't let her face and her smiles fool you. She just made a mistake."
Tzipi Livni
• Born in Tel Aviv; currently married with two children
• Daughter of hawkish politician, Eitan Livni
• Served as a lieutenant in the Israeli army
• Agent for Mossad, Israel's intelligence services, from 1980-84
• Entered Knesset as Likud member in 1999
• Later joined Ariel Sharon's centrist Kadima Party
• Assumed foreign ministry post after Mr. Sharon's stroke
• Now seen as centrist who advocates negotiating a final peace treaty with the Palestinians
Sources: The Knesset, Associated Press
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