BREAKING NEWS

Former chief of staff attempts to fix Netanyahu-Barak rift

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu's former chief of staff Natan Eshel engaged in shuttle diplomacy between the prime minister and Defense Minister Ehud Barak Wednesday in an effort to resolve a dispute between the two that could lead to early elections.
Eshel has good relations with Barak and was the architect of the short-lived national-unity government with Kadima that prevented a September election from being declared in May.
The dispute broke out Tuesday morning when in a conversation with Finance Minister Yuval Steinitz that was leaked to the press, Netanyahu criticized Barak for undermining him in meetings in the United States.