A second woman is running for Israel’s presidency. Colette Avital, a veteran
Labor Party lawmaker and former Israeli consul in New York, announced Tuesday
that she would contend to succeed President Moshe Katsav when his term ends in July.
Katsav stepped down temporarily in January over a sex
scandal, and his stand-in has been Knesset Speaker Dalia Itzik. Itzik has
indicated she might want the permanent presidency. Also believed to be in the
running are Vice Premier Shimon Peres, who ran against Katsav for the presidency
in 2000 and lost in a Knesset vote; former Knesset Speaker Reuven Rivlin; and
Tel Aviv Chief Rabbi Yisrael Meir Lau.
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