Israeli electoral politics took an unexpected turn over the weekend, with reports emerging that former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert will not stand for election when Israelis go to the polls on January 22. Those indications emerged despite the publication of at least one poll suggesting that, should Olmert return to the centrist Kadima party he once headed, Kadima could attract more votes than incumbent Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud party. Meanwhile, the religious party Shas avoided a potentially conspicuous leadership struggle between returning leader Aryeh Deri and current leader Eli Yishai by installing a three-man team at the top of the party.

[Photo: Agência Brasil / Wiki Commons]