Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called for elections on Tuesday, setting the country on a path for early elections as soon as January 15, 2013. Netanyahu explicitly cited deadlocked Knesset negotiations on next year’s budget as the reasons behind his decision, but analysts linked the move to the Prime Minister’s efforts to halt Iran’s drive for nuclear weapons. Netanyahu is expected to win the election, which will be contested by at least five major parties, and thereby to secure electoral legitimacy and stability should Israel resort to force to degrade Iran’s nuclear infrastructure.

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