Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced early elections on Tuesday. 
 
 In a televised statement, Netanyahu said that, as his coalition government would not be able to agree on a national budget for 2013, he had "decided, for the benefit of Israel, to hold elections now and as quickly as possible." 
 
 The elections would take place within three months, the prime minister said. 
 
 "In a few months, the tenure of the most stable government in decades will come to an end," Netanyahu said. "This stability has helped us achieve the two main objectives we promised the citizens of Israel – to strengthen security at a time when a dangerous upheaval is gripping the Middle East, and [to fortify] the economy during…a financial turmoil." 
 
 
 
 "We must maintain a responsible economic and defense policy," Netanyahu added, "to ensure that Iran does not have a nuclear bomb." He said that early elections are a "national interest," and thanked the citizens of Israel for the privilege they have granted him. 
 
 Responding to the news, Foreign Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Avigdor Lieberman, head of Yisrael Beitenu, said that his party was ready and prepared for early elections. Yisrael Beitenu would continue to be a key, influential and responsible player even after the elections, he said. 
 
 Interior Minister Eli Yishai, head of the Shas party, meanwhile, said that the upcoming elections would be about the housing shortage, the loss of pensions, and product prices that have broken the records of "chuzpa and greed," Yishai said. 
 
 
 
 "There is no disagreement over the need to deal with the Iranian issue, so the only debate will be on social issues. A strong Shas will bring social justice," he said. 
 
 Head of the Israel Labor Party Shelly Yachimovich said that under her leadership, Labor is the only alternative to Netanyahu and his Likud party. 
 
 The elections will be a choice "between two paths," Yachimovich said in a statement. "Whether we will live as (if we are ) in a jungle where the strong takes everything, or an enlightened and moral society." 
 
 Also responding to the news, former leader of Kadima, Tzipi Livni, said on Facebook that after four years under Netanyahu's leadership, during which time Israel has become "isolated and introspective," the peace process has frozen, and social gaps in the country have widened, it is time for "Israel to choose its path again." ||||| Israel's prime minister on Tuesday ordered new parliamentary elections in early 2013, roughly eight months ahead of schedule, setting the stage for a lightning quick campaign that will likely win him re-election. 
 
 Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu gestures during a press conference at the Prime Minister's office in Jerusalem, Tuesday, Oct. 9, 2012. Netanyahu has ordered new parliamentary elections in early... (Associated Press) 
 
 Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks during a press conference at the Prime Minister's office in Jerusalem, Tuesday, Oct. 9, 2012. Netanyahu has ordered new parliamentary elections in early... (Associated Press) 
 
 Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu arrives at a conference room at the Prime Minister's office in Jerusalem, Tuesday, Oct. 9, 2012. Netanyahu has ordered new parliamentary elections in early 2013,... (Associated Press) 
 
 Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks during a press conference at the Prime Minister's office in Jerusalem, Tuesday, Oct. 9, 2012. Netanyahu has ordered new parliamentary elections in early... (Associated Press) 
 
 For nearly four years, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has presided over a conservative coalition that has proven stable in a country where governments rarely serve out a full term. Re-election could grant him a fresh mandate to continue his tough stance toward Iran's suspect nuclear program, put the already deadlocked peace process with the Palestinians further into deep freeze and complicate relations with the U.S. if President Barack Obama is re-elected. 
 
 In a nationally televised address, Netanyahu said he was forced to call the snap polls after his coalition could not agree on a budget. 
 
 "I have decided that it is in Israel's better interest to go to elections now and as quickly as possible," he said. "For Israel, it is preferable to have as short a campaign as possible, one of three months over one that would last in practice an entire year and damage Israel's economy." 
 
 With no viable alternative on the horizon, Netanyahu is expected to easily be re-elected as prime minister: He is riding a wave of popularity and his opposition is fragmented and leaderless. 
 
 The next vote had been scheduled for a full year from now, although speculation had been growing for weeks that the current government's days were numbered and that Netanyahu would call for an early vote. 
 
 The immediate reason for the snap elections was the coalition's inability to pass a 2013 budget by a Dec. 31 deadline, but Netanyahu has long been rumored to be leaning toward elections, given his high standings in opinion polls, the lack of a clear rival and fears the economy could weaken next year. 
 
 A recent poll in the Haaretz daily found that 35 percent of Israelis believe Netanyahu is most suited to being prime minister, more than double that of his closest rival, Labor leader Shelly Yachimovich. The survey questioned 507 people and had a margin of error of 4.2 percentage points. 
 
 Netanyahu said he spent Tuesday holding talks with his coalition partners and "came to the conclusion that at this time it is not possible to pass a responsible budget." 
 
 He listed his accomplishments, saying his government had boosted security at a time of regional turmoil and improved the economy despite the global economic meltdown. 
 
 Parliament reconvenes next week for its winter session without the annual budget in place. At that time, Netanyahu is expected to formally dissolve parliament. 
 
 Netanyahu also has little political incentive to wait until October 2013 _ and give his opponents a chance to gain ground _ when he is well-positioned to win re-election. 
 
 Opinion polls put Netanyahu's Likud Party far ahead of its rivals. But the election results could alter the makeup of his coalition government, which is currently comprised mostly by religious and nationalist parties. 
 
 In the 120-seat parliament, no single party controls a majority, resulting in the need for coalition governments usually headed by the leader of the biggest party. 
 
 The dovish Labor Party, now a small faction, is running a distant second, having seen its support grow after mass social protests against the country's high cost of living. Its leader, Yachimovich, who is a former journalist, is running solely on jobs and the economy. 
 
 Yachimovich, who has vowed to capitalize on the growing gaps between rich and poor in the coming election, tends to favor a strong government safety net, while Netanyahu favors more conservative, free-market policies. 
 
 After Netanyahu's announcement, Yachimovich said there was a "reasonable probability" of winning. 
 
 "The public today understands that security is not just on the borders but is also job and income security and health and education security," she said. 
 
 Perhaps the most viable candidate to replace Netanyahu is former Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, but he is entangled in a legal battle that will keep him on the sidelines for the coming months. 
 
 Lagging behind Labor in the polls are Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman's ultranationalist Yisrael Beiteinu party, a new centrist party led by former TV anchorman Yair Lapid and the decimated Kadima Party, which is currently the largest group in parliament but has slipped badly in the polls under new leader Shaul Mofaz. 
 
 "I think the decision for early elections is a day of hope for the citizens of Israel," Mofaz told Chanel 10 TV. "It is an opportunity to replace the bad Netanyahu government that has isolated Israel politically over the past four years, damaged Israel's deterrence and deteriorated the middle class." 
 
 During the campaign, opponents are likely to seize upon Netanyahu's rocky relationship with Obama over how to handle Iran. The rift has unsettled relations with Israel's closest and most important ally. 
 
 Netanyahu could also come under fire for his failure to advance peace talks with the Palestinians, massive street protests in Israel last summer against the growing gap between rich and poor, and widespread resentment over attempts by ultra-Orthodox parties to impose their ways on general society. 
 
 Despite these shortcomings, Netanyahu remains popular in opinion polls, thanks to a lengthy period of quiet, a resilient economy and his handling of the Iran issue. 
 
 Peace talks with the Palestinians could also possibly be renewed after Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas appeared to drop the main demand that has prevented talks. 
 
 Abbas told European diplomats that he would resume talks after the U.N. votes on a Palestinian request for "nonmember state" status, backing down from a previous demand to freeze all Israeli settlement activity before peace talks can resume. A vote is expected in November. 
 
 The official Palestinian Wafa news agency quoted Abbas as saying that once the U.N. membership is completed "we will be ready to return to the table of negotiations with the Israeli side to discuss all outstanding issues between us on the final status." 
 
 Abbas previously refused to meet Netanyahu while Israeli settlement construction was taking place in the West Bank, where he hopes to establish a future Palestinian state. 
 
 Abbas made no mention of a settlement freeze, and officials said Abbas believes a freeze would no longer be necessary if he receives U.N. recognition of a state that includes all of the West Bank. 
 
 Peace talks have been frozen for nearly four years, in part because of Palestinian demands for a settlement freeze and Israel's refusal to accept it.
– Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has announced that national elections will be held within three months—some eight months ahead of schedule—because he knows his conservative coalition government won't be able to agree on a budget. "For the benefit of Israel," the elections will be held "as quickly as possible," he said on national TV, reports Haaretz. Holding the elections quickly will help maintain a stability to aid Israel in maintaining a "responsible economic and defense policy," especially now when the nation is so concerned that Iran is close to developing a nuclear bomb, he noted. The "lightning-quick" elections are also likely to help him win re-election, AP reports. He's enjoying a wave of popularity, and the opposition is fragmented. Immediately after the announcement, the head of the Israel Labor Party said that Labor is the only real alternative to Netanyahu and his Likud party. The elections will be a choice "between two paths: Whether we will live in a jungle where the strong takes everything, or an enlightened and moral society," said party chief Shelly Yachimovich. The former leader of Kadima, Tzipi Livni, said on Facebook that after four "isolated, introspective" years under Netanyahu, it's time for Israel to "choose its path again."