Israel's Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni speaks before casting her ballot at a polling station in Tel Aviv September 17, 2008. Members of Israel's ruling party began voting on Wednesday for a new leader to replace Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, who has promised to resign following a corruption investigation in which he faces indictment. But whether Livni or fellow cabinet minister Shaul Mofaz secures the support of a majority of the 74,000 members of the centrist Kadima party, Olmert may stay on as caretaker premier for weeks or months -- and Israel's fractious coalition politics could yet mean an early parliamentary election. REUTERS/Bernat Armangue/Pool (ISRAEL) 

Israel's Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni (C) arrives to cast her ballot at a polling station in Tel Aviv September 17, 2008. Members of Israel's ruling party began voting on Wednesday for a new leader to replace Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, who has promised to resign following a corruption investigation in which he faces indictment. But whether Livni or fellow cabinet minister Shaul Mofaz secures the support of a majority of the 74,000 members of the centrist Kadima party, Olmert may stay on as caretaker premier for weeks or months -- and Israel's fractious coalition politics could yet mean an early parliamentary election. REUTERS/Ronen Zvulun (ISRAEL) 

Israel's Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni (C) arrives to cast her ballot at a polling station in Tel Aviv September 17, 2008. Members of Israel's ruling party began voting on Wednesday for a new leader to replace Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, who has promised to resign following a corruption investigation in which he faces indictment. But whether Livni or fellow cabinet minister Shaul Mofaz secures the support of a majority of the 74,000 members of the centrist Kadima party, Olmert may stay on as caretaker premier for weeks or months -- and Israel's fractious coalition politics could yet mean an early parliamentary election.
REUTERS/Ronen Zvulun (ISRAEL) 

Israel's Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni (C) gestures upon her arrival to cast her ballot at a polling station in Tel Aviv September 17, 2008. Members of Israel's ruling party began voting on Wednesday for a new leader to replace Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, who has promised to resign following a corruption investigation in which he faces indictment. But whether Livni or fellow cabinet minister Shaul Mofaz secures the support of a majority of the 74,000 members of the centrist Kadima party, Olmert may stay on as caretaker premier for weeks or months -- and Israel's fractious coalition politics could yet mean an early parliamentary election.
REUTERS/Ronen Zvulun (ISRAEL) 

Israel's Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni (C) looks at her watch upon her arrival to cast her ballot at a polling station in Tel Aviv September 17, 2008. Members of Israel's ruling party began voting on Wednesday for a new leader to replace Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, who has promised to resign following a corruption investigation in which he faces indictment. But whether Livni or fellow cabinet minister Shaul Mofaz secures the support of a majority of the 74,000 members of the centrist Kadima party, Olmert may stay on as caretaker premier for weeks or months -- and Israel's fractious coalition politics could yet mean an early parliamentary election. REUTERS/Ronen Zvulun (ISRAEL) 

Israel's Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni (C) arrives to cast her ballot at a polling station in Tel Aviv September 17, 2008. Members of Israel's ruling party voted on Wednesday for a new leader to replace Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, who has promised to resign following a corruption investigation in which he faces indictment. But whether Livni or fellow cabinet minister Shaul Mofaz secures the support of a majority of the 74,000 members of the centrist Kadima party, Olmert may stay on as caretaker premier for weeks or months -- and Israel's fractious coalition politics could yet mean an early parliamentary election. REUTERS/Ronen Zvulun (ISRAEL) 

ISRAEL-LEADER/ - Profiles of Israel's Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni and Transport Minister Shaul Mofaz, the two leading candidates for the leadership of the country's ruling Kadima party which votes on Wednesday for a successor to Prime Minister Ehud Olmert. RNGS. (SIN04) 

Israel's Transport Minister Shaul Mofaz speaks during a supporters' rally for his Kadima party leadership campaign in Netanya near Tel Aviv September 15, 2008. REUTERS/Gil Cohen Magen (ISRAEL) 

Israel's Transport Minister Shaul Mofaz attends a supporters rally' for his Kadima party leadership campaign in Netanya near Tel Aviv September 15, 2008. REUTERS/Gil Cohen Magen (ISRAEL) 

Israel's Transport Minister Shaul Mofaz attends a supporters rally for his Kadima party leadership campaign in Netanya near Tel Aviv September 15, 2008. REUTERS/Gil Cohen Magen (ISRAEL) 

Israel's Transport Minister Shaul Mofaz watches supporters shake hands at a rally for his Kadima party leadership campaign in Netanya near Tel Aviv September 15, 2008. REUTERS/Gil Cohen Magen (ISRAEL) 

Israel's Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni attends a meeting with her Spanish counterpart Miguel Angel Moratinos (not pictured) in Tel Aviv September 15, 2008. A candidate's prediction of victory, down to the decimal point, energised on Monday the final stretch of a lacklustre race to succeed Prime Minister Ehud Olmert as leader of Israel's Kadima party.In one of the boldest political forecasts in Israel in years, Transport Minister Shaul Mofaz, running second in opinion polls to Livni in the Kadima contest, confidently declared a precise result for Wednesday's vote. REUTERS/Gil Cohen Magen (ISRAEL) 

Israel's Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni attends a meeting with her Spanish counterpart Miguel Angel Moratinos (not pictured) in Tel Aviv September 15, 2008. A candidate's prediction of victory, down to the decimal point, energised on Monday the final stretch of a lacklustre race to succeed Prime Minister Ehud Olmert as leader of Israel's Kadima party. In one of the boldest political forecasts in Israel in years, Transport Minister Shaul Mofaz, running second in opinion polls to Livni in the Kadima contest, confidently declared a precise result for Wednesday's vote. REUTERS/Gil Cohen Magen (ISRAEL) 

Israel's Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni speaks with her Spanish counterpart Miguel Angel Moratinos during their meeting in Tel Aviv September 15, 2008. A candidate's prediction of victory, down to the decimal point, energised on Monday the final stretch of a lacklustre race to succeed Prime Minister Ehud Olmert as leader of Israel's Kadima party.In one of the boldest political forecasts in Israel in years, Transport Minister Shaul Mofaz, running second in opinion polls to Livni in the Kadima contest, confidently declared a precise result for Wednesday's vote. REUTERS/Gil Cohen Magen (ISRAEL) 

Israel's Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni, Transport Minister Shaul Mofaz (C) and Interior Minister Meir Sheetrit (L) attend the weekly cabinet meeting in Jerusalem September 14, 2008. Israel's cabinet debated for the first time on Sunday a proposal to offer compensation to Jewish settlers who volunteer to leave parts of the West Bank that would be handed to the Palestinians in a future peace deal.
REUTERS/Dan Balilty/Pool (JERUSALEM) 

Israel's Prime Minister Ehud Olmert (R), Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni and Transport Minister Shaul Mofaz (L) attend the weekly cabinet meeting in Jerusalem September 14, 2008. Israel's cabinet debated for the first time on Sunday a proposal to offer compensation to Jewish settlers who volunteer to leave parts of the West Bank that would be handed to the Palestinians in a future peace deal.
REUTERS/Dan Balilty/Pool (JERUSALEM) 

Shaul Mofaz (C), Israel's Transport Minister and deputy Prime Minister arrives at a Kadima party meeting in Tel Aviv September 11, 2008. REUTERS/Baz Ratner (ISRAEL) 

Shaul Mofaz (C), Israel's Transport Minister and deputy Prime Minister, attends a meeting with supporters in the southern city of Beersheba September 10, 2008. Mofaz, an ex-general who has said war with his native Iran could be "unavoidable", is a leading candidate in a race to succeed Ehud Olmert as head of the Kadima party and prime minister. REUTERS/Amir Cohen (ISRAEL) 

Shaul Mofaz (C), Israel's Transport Minister and deputy Prime Minister, attends a meeting with supporters in the southern city of Beersheba September 10, 2008. Mofaz, an ex-general who has said war with his native Iran could be "unavoidable", is a leading candidate in a race to succeed Ehud Olmert as head of the Kadima party and prime minister. REUTERS/Amir Cohen (ISRAEL) 

Shaul Mofaz (C), Israel's Transport Minister and deputy Prime Minister, speaks with supporters in the southern city of Beersheba September 10, 2008. Mofaz, an ex-general who has said war with his native Iran could be "unavoidable", is a leading candidate in a race to succeed Ehud Olmert as head of the Kadima party and prime minister. REUTERS/Amir Cohen (ISRAEL) 

Israel's Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Transport Minister Shaul Mofaz (2nd L) attend the weekly cabinet meeting in Jerusalem August 31, 2008. Olmert and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas will try to draw up a preliminary document of understandings to present to Washington next month, Israeli media reported on Sunday. REUTERS/Ronen Zvulun (JERUSALEM) 

Israel's Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni and Transport Minister Shaul Mofaz (L) attend the weekly cabinet meeting in Jerusalem August 31, 2008. REUTERS/Ronen Zvulun (JERUSALEM) 

Israel's Prime Minister Ehud Olmert (R), Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni (C) and Transport Minister Shaul Mofaz attend the weekly cabinet meeting in Jerusalem in this August 24, 2008 file photo. The two top contenders in the Sept. 17 centrist Kadima party ballot are Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni, Israel's chief negotiator with the Palestinians, and Iranian-born Deputy Prime Minister Shaul Mofaz, a former army chief. To match feature ISRAEL-LEADERSHIP/ REUTERS/David Silverman/Pool/Files (JERUSALEM) 

Shaul Mofaz, Israel's deputy prime minister and candidate for the Kadima party leadership, addresses supporters during a rally in Jerusalem in this August 5, 2008 file photo. The two top contenders in the Sept. 17 centrist Kadima party ballot are Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni, Israel's chief negotiator with the Palestinians, and Iranian-born Deputy Prime Minister Shaul Mofaz, a former army chief. To match feature ISRAEL-LEADERSHIP/ REUTERS/Baz Ratner/Files (JERUSALEM) 

Israel's Prime Minister Ehud Olmert (R), Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni (C) and Transport Minister Shaul Mofaz attend the weekly cabinet meeting in Jerusalem August 24, 2008. REUTERS/David Silverman/Pool (JERUSALEM) 

Israel's Transport Minister Shaul Mofaz attends the weekly cabinet meeting in Jerusalem August 24, 2008. REUTERS/David Silverman/Pool (JERUSALEM) 

Shaul Mofaz, Israel's Deputy Prime Minister and candidate for the Kadima party leadership, addresses supporters during a rally in Jerusalem August 5, 2008. REUTERS/Baz Ratner (JERUSALEM) 

Shaul Mofaz, Israel's Deputy Prime Minister and candidate for the Kadima party leadership, addresses supporters during a rally in Jerusalem August 5, 2008. REUTERS/Baz Ratner (JERUSALEM) 

Shaul Mofaz, Israel's Deputy Prime Minister and candidate for the Kadima party leadership, addresses supporters during a rally in Jerusalem August 5, 2008. REUTERS/Baz Ratner (JERUSALEM) 

Israel Deputy Prime Minister Shaul Mofaz holds a news briefing in Washington August 1, 2008. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst (UNITED STATES) 

Israel's Deputy Prime Minister Shaul Mofaz listens during a news conference at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy August 1, 2008. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst (UNITED STATES) 

Israel's Deputy Prime Minister Shaul Mofaz addresses a news conference at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy August 1, 2008. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst (UNITED STATES) 

Israel's Deputy Prime Minister Shaul Mofaz smiles during a news conference at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy August 1, 2008. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst (UNITED STATES) 

Israel's Deputy Prime Minister Shaul Mofaz (L) listens to former U.S. Under Secretary of State Nicholas Burns (R) at a news conference at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy August 1, 2008. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst (UNITED STATES) 

Israel's Deputy Prime Minister Shaul Mofaz attends a news conference at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy in Washington, August 1, 2008. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst (UNITED STATES) 

A security agent watches over Israel's Deputy Prime Minister Shaul Mofaz (R) as he attends a news conference at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy in Washington, August 1, 2008. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst (UNITED STATES) 

Israel's Deputy Prime Minister Shaul Mofaz speaks at a news conference at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy in Washington, August 1, 2008. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst (UNITED STATES) 

(L-R) Israel's Transportation Minister Shaul Mofaz, Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, Cabinet Secretary Oved Yehezkel and Vice Premier Haim Ramon attend the weekly cabinet meeting in Jerusalem June 29, 2008. Olmert sought the government's go-ahead on Sunday for a prisoner swap with Hezbollah to recover two soldiers whose abduction by the Iranian-backed guerrillas triggered the 2006 Lebanon war. REUTERS/Jim Hollander/Pool (JERUSALEM) 

Israel's Prime Minister Ehud Olmert (C), Cabinet Secretary Oved Yehezkel and Transport Minister Shaul Mofaz (L) attend the weekly cabinet meeting in Jerusalem May 25, 2008. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said on Saturday he feared a criminal investigation of Olmert and looming U.S. elections could hold up Middle East peace talks. REUTERS/David Silverman/Pool (JERUSALEM) 

Israel's Prime Minister Ehud Olmert (C) and Transport Minister Shaul Mofaz (L) attend the weekly cabinet meeting in Jerusalem April 13, 2008. REUTERS/David Silverman/Pool (JERUSALEM) 

Israel's Prime Minister Ehud Olmert (R), Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni and Transport Minister Shaul Mofaz (L) attend the weekly cabinet meeting in Jerusalem January 20, 2008. REUTERS/Jim Hollnader/Pool (JERUSALEM) 

Israel's Prime Minister Ehud Olmert (2nd R), Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni (2nd L) and Transport Minister Shaul Mofaz (L) attend the weekly cabinet meeting in Jerusalem December 30, 2007. Olmert urged the Palestinians on Sunday to rein in militants after an attack killed two Israelis, calling it a condition for Israel relaxing its grip on the West Bank. REUTERS/Uriel Sinai/Pool (JERUSALEM) 

Israel's Prime Minister Ehud Olmert (R), Defence Minister Ehud Barak (L), Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni (2nd R), and Transport Minister Shaul Mofaz (3rd R) attend the weekly cabinet meeting in Jerusalem December 9, 2007. Israel's deputy prime minister responded on Sunday to U.S. criticism of plans to build homes on occupied land in the Jerusalem area by saying parts of the city must be given to the Palestinians to avoid losing U.S. support. REUTERS/Gali Tibbon/Pool (JERUSALEM) 

Israel's Prime Minister Ehud Olmert (C), Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni (2nd L), Transport Minister Shaul Mofaz (L) and Cabinet Secretary Oved Yehezkel (2nd R) attend the weekly cabinet meeting in Jerusalem December 2, 2007. REUTERS/Ammar Awad (JERUSALEM) 

Israel's (L-R) Transport Minister Shaul Mofaz, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, Cabinet Secretary Oved Yehezkel and Haim Ramon, senior cabinet minister and vice premier, attend the weekly cabinet meeting in Jerusalem August 19, 2007. REUTERS/Pavel Wolberg/Pool (JERUSALEM) 

Israel's Prime Minister Ehud Olmert (R) attends the weekly cabinet meeting with Defence Minister Ehud Barak (L-2nd R), Minister of Transport Shaul Mofaz and Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni in Jerusalem August 5, 2007. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas expects to discuss key issues for creating a Palestinian state with Olmert at a meeting in the West Bank on Monday, Abbas's top aides said on Saturday. REUTERS/Gali Tibbon/Pool (JERUSALEM) 

(From L to R) Israel's Defence Minister Amir Peretz, Welfare Minister Isaac Herzog, Housing Minister Meir Sheetrit, Transport Minister Shaul Mofaz, Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni and Prime Minister Ehud Olmert attend the weekly cabinet meeting in Jerusalem May 27, 2007. Palestinian rockets struck a southern Israeli town on Sunday and two people were wounded, a day after Israeli air strikes killed five Hamas militants in the Gaza Strip. REUTERS/Gil Cohen Magen (JERUSALEM) 

Israel's Prime Minister Ehud Olmert (R), Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni (C) and Transport Minister Shaul Mofaz attend a cabinet meeting in Jerusalem May 13, 2007 marking the 40th anniversary of the capture of the eastern part of the city. Israel annexed East Jerusalem as part of its capital in the 1967 Middle East War in a move not recognized internationally. REUTERS/Jim Hollander/Pool (JERUSALEM) 

(From R-L) Israel's Minister of Transport Shaul Mofaz, Deputy Prime Minister Shimon Peres, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni attend a special parliamentary debate on Israel's Lebanon war inquiry, in Jerusalem May 3, 2007. Olmert faced on Thursday a major challenge to his pledge to stay in power, a protest rally that organisers hope will draw at least 100,000 people demanding he resign over the Lebanon war. REUTERS/Oleg Popov (JERUSALEM) 

(From R-L) Israel's Deputy Prime Minister Shimon Peres, Cabinet Secretary Yisrael Maimon, Israel's Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni and Transport Minister Shaul Mofaz attend a special cabinet meeting in Jerusalem May 2, 2007. Olmert's future appeared increasingly in doubt on Wednesday after a senior member of his party urged him to resign in the wake of criticism of his conduct of last year's Lebanon war. REUTERS/Kevin Frayer/Pool (JERUSALEM) 

(From R-L) Israel's Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni, Transport Minister Shaul Mofaz and Defence Minister Amir Peretz attend a special cabinet meeting in Jerusalem May 2, 2007. Olmert's future appeared increasingly in doubt on Wednesday after a senior member of his party urged him to resign in the wake of criticism of his conduct of last year's Lebanon war. REUTERS/Kevin Frayer/Pool (JERUSALEM) 

(From R-L) Israel's Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni, Transport Minister Shaul Mofaz and Defence Minister Amir Peretz attend a special cabinet meeting in Jerusalem May 2, 2007. Olmert's future appeared increasingly in doubt on Wednesday after a senior member of his party urged him to resign in the wake of criticism of his conduct of last year's Lebanon war. REUTERS/Kevin Frayer/Pool (JERUSALEM) 

Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert (C), Cabinet Secretary Yisrael Maimon (2nd R), Deputy Prime Minister and Transportation Minister Shaul Mofaz (4th R), and Israel's Vice Premier Shimon Peres (R) attend the weekly cabinet meeting in Jerusalem March 11, 2007. Olmert and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas hold talks on Sunday that are only likely to highlight their divisions over a Palestinian unity government whose formation appears imminent. REUTERS/Ronen Zvulun (JERUSALEM) 

Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert (R), Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni (C) and Deputy Prime Minister and Transportation Minister Shaul Mofaz attend the weekly cabinet meeting in Jerusalem February 11, 2007. Olmert gave a non-committal response on Sunday to a Palestinian unity government deal, saying Israel was examining details of the accord sealed in Saudi Arabia. REUTERS/Gali Tibbon/Pool (JERUSALEM) 

Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert (2nd R) attends the weekly cabinet meeting with his cabinet ministers Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni (3rd R), Cabinet Secretary Yisrael Maimon (R), Deputy Prime Minister and Transportation Minister Shaul Mofaz (4th R, seated) and Housing Minister Meir Sheetrit (5th R) in Jerusalem January 28, 2007. REUTERS/Jim Hollander/Pool (JERUSALEM) 

Israel's Prime Minister Ehud Olmert (2nd R) Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni (2nd L) Transport Minister Shaul Mofaz (L) and Cabinet Secretary Yisrael Maimon attend the weekly cabinet meeting in Jerusalem December 31, 2006. REUTERS/Orel Cohen/Flash90/Pool (JERUSALEM) 

Israel's Prime Minister Ehud Olmert (C), Transport Minister Shaul Mofaz (L) and Cabinet Secretary Yisrael Maimon attend the weekly cabinet meeting in Jerusalem December 10, 2006. REUTERS/Yoav Lemmer/Pool (JERUSALEM) 

Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert (R) and Minister of Transport Shaul Mofaz lay the first rail during a ceremony for the light rail in Jerusalem November 22, 2006. REUTERS/Oded Balilty/Pool (JERUSALEM) 

Israel's Prime Minister Ehud Olmert (2nd-R) Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni (2nd-L), Cabinet Secretary Yisrael Maimon (R) and Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Transportation Shaul Mofaz (L) attend the weekly cabinet meeting in Jerusalem October 22, 2006.
REUTERS/ Uriel Sinai/Pool (JERUSALEM)