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5:54 P.M. Livni tells MK Amir Peretz he'll take the No. 8 spot on joint Hatnuah-Labor list

Hatnuah chairwoman Tzipi Livni met last week with her colleague MK Amir Peretz and told him he would take the No. 8 spot on the party's joint list with Labor (Peretz's former home before he defected to Hatnuah).

"I see Amir as an important partner in the mission to replace the government of Netanyahu and extremists," Livni said.

Peretz said he was pleased that Hatnuah and Labor were working together to replace the government. "We have completed the first stage on the way to replacing the government of Israel," he said, adding that the Israeli public understands there is an alternative to Netanyahu. "Now we are beginning to present the socioeconomic, diplomatic and defense alternative."

5:41 P.M. Tzipi Livni's Hatnuah party is falling apart

Four of six of the party's ministers are quitting. Amram Mitzna announced he was not running for reelection on Wednesday. MK Meir Sheetrit is expected to do the same at a press conference he called for Thursday morning. MK David Tzur and MK Elazar Stern had already announced that they were quitting the party over the last few days. (Jonathan Lis)

5:24 P.M. Former Israeli envoy to U.S. Michael Oren joins Kahlon's new party

Former Israeli ambassador to the United States Michael Oren has officially joined the recently launched political party Kulanu, headed by former Likud lawmaker and minister Moshe Kahlon. (Jonathan Lis)

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10:06 A.M. Netanyahu hires Republican strategist John McLaughlin

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has reportedly hired Republican strategist and pollster John McLaughlin ahead of Israel’s March 17 election.

Israel’s Channel Two reported the move as polls show Netanyahu in a close race with the center-left alliance of the Labor and Hatnua parties.

McLaughlin, who according to his website has worked with dozens of U.S. congressmen and senators, previously worked with Netanyahu in 2007, ahead of his victory in the 2009 Israeli election.

American political strategists have worked on several past Israeli election campaigns. In last year’s election campaign, Netanyahu hired conservative political strategist Arthur Finkelstein while the Labor party hired strategist Stanley Greenberg, a veteran of U.S. Democratic campaigns. (JTA)