In Israel, a tight leadership race is being decided today in national elections. Polls show a close match between Kadima, headed by Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni, and the front-running Likud, led by former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Livni could emerge victorious if she gains enough votes to form a coalition with Labor, headed by Defense Minister Ehud Barak. All three candidates support attacking and blockading Gaza and the continued takeover of Palestinian land in the occupied West Bank. In Gaza, Hamas spokesperson Ayman Taha dismissed the outcome of the elections.

Ayman Taha: “We see them all as war criminals, and we do not tie our policies to the Israeli elections. We draw our policies in accordance with our national interests. Therefore, the Israeli election does not concern us at all. They were all involved in shedding our blood.”