2006 Iranian sumptuary law hoax
Numerous other sources, including Maurice Motamed, the Jewish member of the Iranian parliament and the Iranian Embassy in Canada, refuted the report as untrue. The National Post later retracted the original article and published an article, to the contrary ("Experts say report of badges for Jews in Iran is untrue").


2006 Iranian sumptuary law hoax
The original article listed only "human rights groups" and "Iranian expatriates living in Canada" as its sources. Amir Taheri made a statement on May 22 saying the National Post story he authored was used by "a number of reports that somehow jumped the gun" and that he stands by the article.


2006 Iranian sumptuary law hoax
The Associated Press later refuted the Post report as well, saying that "a draft law moving through parliament encourages Iranians to wear Islamic clothing to protect the country's Muslim identity but does not mention special attire for religious minorities, according to a copy obtained Saturday by The Associated Press." Reuters also reported that "A copy of the bill obtained by Reuters contained no such references. Reuters correspondents who followed the dress code session in parliament as it was broadcast on state radio heard no discussion of proscriptions for religious minorities."


2006 Iranian sumptuary law hoax
On May 24, 2006, the National Post issued an apology for the reports that the Iranian law would "require Jews and other religious minorities in Iran to wear badges... We apologize for the mistake and for the consternation it has caused not just National Post readers, but the broader public who read the story."


2006 Iranian sumptuary law hoax, Refutation
In a follow-up article, the National Post quoted Meir Javedanfar, an Israeli expert on Iran and the Middle East, as saying that the Islamic dress law contained no requirements of special insignia, and that "The Iranian people would never stand for" them and "The Iranian government wouldn't be stupid enough to do it."


2006 Iranian sumptuary law hoax, Refutation
Iranian commentator Ali Reza Nourizadeh said that a motion had been made to impose such requirements, but that it had never come close to becoming law.


2006 Iranian sumptuary law hoax, Refutation
Sam Kermanian, secretary general of the Iranian American Jewish Federation, said that his contacts in the Iranian Jewish community, including Maurice Motamed, reported that there was no such law.


2006 Iranian sumptuary law hoax, Refutation
Meir Jawadnafar, an Iranian exile living in Israel, called the report "baseless" in an interview with the Toronto Star.


2006 Iranian sumptuary law hoax, Early reaction
Rabbi Marvin Hier, dean of the Simon Wiesenthal Center, wrote a letter to the United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan protesting the alleged new law and urging the United Nations to take action. Rabbi Hier compared it to the Nazi requirement for the Jews to wear yellow badges that "ended with the Holocaust that led to the murder of six million Jews and millions of other innocent civilians", adding, "Given President Ahmadinejad's record of labeling the Holocaust a myth and calling for the obliteration of the State of Israel," he wrote, "we must urgently take action."


2006 Iranian sumptuary law hoax, Early reaction
According to Kayhan, the Iranian foreign ministry called the Canadian Ambassador to Iran for an explanation and apology. Some Iranian journalists and analysts asked the Iranian government to file a case in international court against National Post, as BBC Persian reported.


2006 Iranian sumptuary law hoax, Early reaction
Canada's Prime Minister Stephen Harper reacted to the report during a news conference with Australian Prime Minister John Howard. Harper said the Iranian regime is "very capable of this kind of action" and that "It boggles the mind that any regime on the face of the Earth would want to do anything that could remind people of Nazi Germany".


2006 Iranian sumptuary law hoax, Early reaction
On May 21, Iran summoned Canada's ambassador to Tehran to explain the remarks made by Canada's prime minister.


2006 Iranian sumptuary law hoax, Apology
On May 24, 2006, the National Post apologized for its reports. "It is now clear the story is not true," wrote Editor-in-chief Douglas Kelly in a long editorial appearing on Page 2.The apology includes a description of story sources and factors that contributed to the decision to run the story. Amir Taheri is identified as the initial source for the "story of the alleged badge law".


2006 Iranian sumptuary law hoax, Apology
Story confirmation described in the apology included the Dean and Associate Dean of the Simon Wiesenthal Center in Los Angeles. The remaining positive confirmation described consists of two Iranian exiles in Canada who said they had heard of the story from contacts in Iran and they believed it to be true.


2006 Iranian sumptuary law hoax, Apology
The National Post apology also identifies one of the factors that contributed to the decision to run the story as being "previous statements of the Iranian President."


2006 Iraqi government formation
This article concerns the formation process of the Al Maliki I Government of Iraq in the aftermath of the Iraq National Assembly being elected on December 15, 2005. Due to disputes over alleged vote-rigging the results of the election were only certified by the Independent Electoral Commission of Iraq on February 10, 2006.


2006 Iraqi government formation
Under the constitution of Iraq, the first meeting of the Assembly should have taken place by March 12, 2006, one month after certification of the election. The Assembly should have elected the Speaker in its first session, the President no more than fifteen days later, the Prime Minister no more than fifteen days after the President, and the Cabinet no more than thirty days after the Prime Minister.


2006 Iraqi government formation
If any of these deadlines were not met a new election should have been held. However, similar deadlines have been missed before in Iraq — for example with the drafting of the constitution of Iraq — without the legal consequence occurring.


2006 Iraqi government formation, First Assembly meeting
Negotiations over the new government only started in earnest once the results of the election were in.


2006 Iraqi government formation, First Assembly meeting
Acting President Talabani attempted to convene a meeting of the Assembly for March 12, but this required the assent of acting Vice-President Adel Abdul Mahdi, who initially refused to consent.


2006 Iraqi government formation, First Assembly meeting
The seven parties within the United Iraqi Alliance wrote to Talabani asking him to delay the first session until there was agreement on who should occupy top government positions. They were reluctant to approve the Assembly speaker – expected to be a Sunni – or the President – expected to be a Kurd – before they had agreed to their nominee as Prime Minister.


2006 Iraqi government formation, First Assembly meeting
However, on March 8, Abdul Mahdi backtracked and agreed to sign the decree, on the basis that it would be a "pro-forma" session that would not discuss the Prime Minister and after advice from the Federal Court of Iraq that the Assembly could be convened via an alternative process if he refused to sign.


2006 Iraqi government formation, First Assembly meeting
Talabani agreed to delay the first meeting until March 19 after the Dawa and Sadr Blocs within the United Iraqi Alliance threatened to boycott the session, which might block quorum. At a meeting with the US Ambassador, the leaders of all the Iraqi parties agreed to bring forward the date to March 16, to prevent the meeting clashing with the Shia festival of Arba'een.


2006 Iraqi government formation, First Assembly meeting
In. the event the meeting lasted only thirty minutes and dealt with the swearing-in of the new Assembly members. It was technically left open rather than being adjourned so that the constitutional can require to elect the Speaker at the first session could be complied with. The Assembly's eldest member, Adnan Pachachi chaired the session as acting speaker following Arab political tradition.


2006 Iraqi government formation, First Assembly meeting
On April 12 Pachachi announced that he would convene the Assembly again for April 17 in an attempt to break the impasse over the new government. However, on April 16 he agreed to postpone the meeting for "a few days" as the Alliance had objected to the nomination of Tariq al-Hashimi to the post of speaker, calling him "hardline and sectarian".


2006 Iraqi government formation, Coalition parties
Under the newly adopted constitution of Iraq, the Presidency Council of Iraq, Prime Minister of Iraq and Cabinet must have the support of two thirds, or 184, members of the Iraqi National Assembly. The parties who formed the government were:


2006 Iraqi government formation, Coalition parties
The 29 members of Sadrist Movement within the United Iraqi Alliance withdrew from the government in November 2006, taking the total down to 211. In August 2007, the main Sunni bloc, Iraqi Accord Front withdrew from the Government. The government currently controls 167 seats out of 275 in the National Assembly.


2006 Iraqi government formation, Coalition parties
This is the first time that a Sunni Arab-led political group had been included in an Iraqi government since the fall of Saddam Hussein.


2006 Iraqi government formation, Coalition parties, Negotiations
Immediately after the elections, leaders of all four major political groups called for a government of national unity. Kurdish leader Jalal Talabani called for a "government linking everyone, Arabs be they Shias or Sunnis, Kurds and Turkomans" Adnan al-Dulaimi of the Iraqi Accord Front said he was willing to enter into coalition with the Kurdish Alliance, the Iraqi National List or the United Iraqi Alliance.


2006 Iraqi government formation, Coalition parties, Negotiations
On 2 January the main Sunni list, the Iraqi Accord Front held meetings with Kurdish representatives in Irbil. They reportedly said they would abandon claims that the elections had been rigged once an international election monitors' review was completed, and agreed an outline of a new national unity government. After meeting with Talabani on 8 January, Adnan al-Dulaimi said that significant headway had been made of forming a coalition government and that "Talabani and I have an identical point of view regarding the formation of a national unity government based on consensus". However al-Dulaimi was attacked by the Iraqi National Dialogue Front headed by Saleh al-Mutlaq who said they had broken an agreement with his and Allawi's lists to not discuss the new government with the Kurds until the electoral results had been reviewed.


2006 Iraqi government formation, Coalition parties, Iraqi National List
The Sadrist Movement party within the United Iraqi Alliance originally opposed including Allawi's list in the new government, saying "Allawi is a red line... Allawi represents the Baathists. He's against us. He's arrested our people."


2006 Iraqi government formation, Coalition parties, Iraqi National List
However, on January 22 the Kurdish leaders called for a government of national unity to include all four largest lists.


2006 Iraqi government formation, Coalition parties, Iraqi National List
On March 12 US Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad said that Iraqi political leaders had agreed that "there is no redline, in terms of the inclusion of any faction, in the formation of the government".


2006 Iraqi government formation, Coalition parties, Islamic Virtue Party
The Islamic Virtue Party, a member of the United Iraqi Alliance coalition with 15 Assembly members announced May 12, 2006 that it was withdrawing from the government, complaining that the United States was interfering with the formation of the government. It has been pressing for one of its members to be named the new Oil Minister.


2006 Iraqi government formation, Coalition parties, Iraqi National Dialogue Front
Following a suicide bombing in Karbala, Sadrist demonstrators in Baghdad chanted "We're going to crush Saleh al-Mutlaq with our slippers", accusing him of backing the Karbala bombers. Abdul Aziz Al-Hakim, the leader of SCIRI, said the Sunni parties' alleged support for terrorism would "only increase our willingness to exclude" them.


2006 Iraqi government formation, Coalition parties, Iraqi National Dialogue Front
On May 12, 2006, the Iraqi National Dialogue Front said it had decided not to join the government, saying it is too "sectarian". It walked out of the Assembly meeting that agreed the government protesting that "it was formed on the basis of an ethnic and religious proportional system"but said he would "support everything positive that comes from al-Maliki's government"


2006 Iraqi government formation, Coalition parties, Iraqi National Dialogue Front
The party was not included in the cabinet approved on 20 May, but ten days later an Iraqi newspaper, Al-Sabah al-Jadid reported that Maliki was considering a reshuffle to bring the party into the government.


2006 Iraqi government formation, Coalition parties, Sadrist withdrawal
In November 2006 the Sadrist Movement withdrew from the government in protest of the meeting between US President George W. Bush and al-Maliki. This reduced the government's majority to 211 out of 275 seats. The Sadrist were later reported to have started an opposition group with Iraqi National Dialogue Front to campaign for the withdrawal of foreign troops and against federalism.


2006 Iraqi government formation, Coalition parties, Sadrist withdrawal
In January they agreed to rejoin the government, after an all-party committee was agreed to look at a timetable for the withdrawal of US forces.


2006 Iraqi government formation, Coalition parties, Sadrist withdrawal
However, in April they withdrew again, demanding a timetable for withdrawal.


2006 Iraqi government formation, Coalition parties, Iraqi Accord Front withdrawal
On 1 August, the Iraqi Accord Front which consists of 44 members of the Parliament, withdrew from the Government. Al-Hashemi will remain vice-president.


2006 Iraqi government formation, Coalition parties, Iraqi National List withdrawal
Shortly after the IAF withdrew from government, the secularist Iraqi National List announced that their five ministers were suspending their participation in cabinet meetings citing the failure of al-Maliki to respond to the List's demands. Initially, they said they would continue their ministerial work, but three weeks later they withdrew completely. The communist science minister, however, decided to continue in the government.


2006 Iraqi government formation, Coalition parties, Moderates Front
In August 2007, a new alliance was formed, calling themselves the "Moderates Front". This consisted of the four remaining core parties of the al-Maliki government:


2006 Iraqi government formation, Coalition parties, Moderates Front
The Iraqi Islamic Party, which includes Vice-President Tariq al-Hashimi, agreed later to join the alliance. The five parties hold around 130 out of 275 members of the Iraqi Council of Representatives.


2006 Iraqi government formation, Coalition parties, Moderates Front
Dawa and SIIC are Shi'ite Arab Islamist parties, the KDP and PUK are secular Kurdish parties and the IIP is a Sunni Arab Islamist party.


2006 Iraqi government formation, Coalition parties, Moderates Front
The new alliance agreed to dilute the de-Baathification provisions of the constitution of Iraq, release prisoners who are held without charge, and hold governorate council elections.


2006 Iraqi government formation, Prime Minister, Initial Alliance nomination
Under the constitution, the largest list in the Assembly, the United Iraqi Alliance, has the right to name the Prime Minister. The UIA comprises the following parties:


2006 Iraqi government formation, Prime Minister, Initial Alliance nomination
On 12 February the Alliance selected the incumbent Ibrahim al-Jaafari as their candidate after a close ballot of its 130 assembly members.


2006 Iraqi government formation, Prime Minister, Initial Alliance nomination
Four Alliance members originally put their names forward as candidates:


2006 Iraqi government formation, Prime Minister, Initial Alliance nomination
The Alliance was unable to agree on a candidate by consensus, so decided to put it to a vote. al-Jabiri and Shahristani withdrew their candidacies before the vote. Although they were both thought to favour Abdul Mehdi, they both decided not to publicly back either remaining candidate.


2006 Iraqi government formation, Prime Minister, Initial Alliance nomination
The Iraqi newspaper, Al-Sharq al-Awsat, claimed that Iran had exerted pressure on the Alliance to choose Jafaari, and the Sadr Movement threatened violence if Abdul Mahdi was chosen. However, the Iranian conservative newspaper, Baztab, was said to be supporting Abdul-Mahdi who has closer ties to Iran than Jafaari.


2006 Iraqi government formation, Prime Minister, Initial Alliance nomination
The two Assembly members from the Sadrist The Upholders of the Message list were also allowed to vote. One member, Hasan al-Rubai, from the Sadr Movement arrived late so couldn't vote. The result was:


2006 Iraqi government formation, Prime Minister, Objections
Prior to the vote Kurdish leader Jalal Talabani said he "wouldn't object" if Alliance nominated Jafaari.


2006 Iraqi government formation, Prime Minister, Objections
However, on March 1, 2006, leaders of the Kurdistan Alliance, mainly-Sunni Iraqi Accord Front and secularist Iraqi National List agreed to ask the Alliance to drop Jafaari and chose another candidate for Prime Minister. This came after deadly sectarian reprisals against Sunnis after the bombing of the Al-Askari Mosque, and after a visit by Jafaari to Turkey on February 28, 2006 that was strongly criticised by Talabani.


2006 Iraqi government formation, Prime Minister, Objections
A Kurdish leader was quoted saying "he (Jaafari) is not appropriate and they (Sunnis and Kurds) cannot form a cabinet with him as he is not neutral". A Sunni leader was quoted saying "his performance has been below expectations...he was unable to control the security situation... and what has happened in the last few days is a proof of what we have said...the government had been inefficient and Mr Jafaari should give his seat to someone "competent". The Kurdistan Islamic Union said it would back the stance of the Kurdistani Alliance, to avoid conflict with the main Kurdish political forces.


2006 Iraqi government formation, Prime Minister, Second Alliance nomination
At first, Jafaari refused to back down and the stalemate persisted for over six weeks. In April the most senior Shi'ite cleric, Ali al-Sistani intervened, calling for urgent steps to resolve the deadlock in the interests of national unity. On April 8 the Alliance met and reportedly considered Abdul Mehdi, Shahristani and Dawa party members Nouri al-Maliki and Ali al-Adeeb as alternative nominees. However, the meeting ended without agreement, instead mandating a 3-man committee consisting of al-Maliki, Shahristani and Humam Hamoudi, from SCIRI, to discuss the matter with the Kurdistani Alliance and Islamic Accord Front. The Kurdistani Alliance and Iraqi Accord Front both reiterated their rejection of Jafaari two days later, and the Islamic Virtue Party spokesman Sabah al-Saadi publicly suggested that they nominate an alternative to Jaafari, further weakening him.


2006 Iraqi government formation, Prime Minister, Second Alliance nomination
On April 11, the Al-Hayat newspaper reported that the Sadr Movement, who up to then had been the strongest supporters of Jaafari outside his own Dawa Party, had softened their stance. It indicated they may support one of:


2006 Iraqi government formation, Prime Minister, Second Alliance nomination
On April 14 it was reported that Mohammed Redha al-Sistani, negotiating on behalf of his father Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, had brokered an agreement with al-Sadr and Abdul Mehdi. Under this agreement, al-Sadr agreed not to object to dropping Jafaari, and in exchange Abdul Mehdi would not seek the Prime Ministership himself, settling for his existing post of Vice President.


2006 Iraqi government formation, Prime Minister, Second Alliance nomination
On April 21, the Alliance reached a decision to put nominate Nouri al-Maliki to the post of Prime Minister.


2006 Iraqi government formation, Prime Minister, Deputy Prime Ministers
On April 17 the Iraqi Accord Front originally nominated Khalaf al-Ulayyan to the post of Deputy Prime Minister, but he was later replaced by Salam al-Zaubai.


2006 Iraqi government formation, President
Jalal Talabani, current President of Iraq, said prior to the election that he would not seek re-election as President, because it has few powers compared to the Prime Minister. "I'm not ready to be a puppet president of this country", he said. "The president must be partner with the prime minister in ruling Iraq on all levels, foreign affairs, internal everything". However, this has been seen as an indication that he wanted the post to have more powers, rather than him not wanting the post.


2006 Iraqi government formation, President
On April 12, Iyad al-Samarra'i, a spokesman for the Iraqi Accord Front called for the President to be a Sunni Arab, saying they were unhappy that both the President and Foreign Minister are Kurds. A Kurdistani Alliance representative, Mahmoud Othman responded that the Kurds were sticking by Talabani and were happy to let the matter go to a vote of the Iraqi National Assembly. On April 14 the IAF withdrew their proposal, so Talabani was elected unopposed.


2006 Iraqi government formation, President
It was reported that Adel Abdul Mahdi agreed to stay on as Vice President rather than continue his bid to become Prime Minister. On April 17 the Iraqi Accord Front nominated Adnan al-Dulaimi as Vice-President. Iyad Allawi was also proposed for Vice-President but that would result in the Sunni Arab community losing out. Eventually, Tariq Al-Hashimi, secretary-general of the Iraqi Islamic Party, was agreed on as the Sunni Vice President. Talabani, Abdul Mahdi and al-Hashimi were elected as the Presidency Council of Iraq on 2006-04-22, alongside Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki and Speaker Mahmoud al-Mashhadani.


2006 Iraqi government formation, Assembly Speaker
On April 17 the Iraqi Accord Front nominated Tariq al-Hashimi to be the speaker of the Iraqi National Assembly. However, the United Iraqi Alliance said he was unacceptable as he had "a history of strident rhetoric of a Sunni sectarian sort". Some saw this as a retaliation to the Front's opposition to the nomination of Jaafari as Prime Minister.


2006 Iraqi government formation, Assembly Speaker
On April 22 the Assembly elected Mahmoud al-Mashhadani as the Speaker in a secret ballot, with 159 votes in favour, 97 spoilt ballots and 10 abstentions.


2006 Iraqi government formation, Assembly Speaker
Khaled al-Attiyah from the United Iraqi Alliance and Aref Tayfour from the Kurdistani Alliance were elected Deputy Speakers.


2006 Iraqi government formation, Assembly Speaker
On May 28 the Assembly went into closed session to debate the internal rules of the Assembly. The United Iraqi Alliance and Kurdistani Alliance wanted the Speaker to have to consult his deputies before making any decisions, a rule fiercely opposed by the Iraqi Accord Front.


2006 Iraqi government formation, Assembly Speaker
In June 2007 the Council of Representatives asked Mashhadani to resign after a Shiite Turkoman lawmaker, Firyad Mohammed Omar, was dragged into an unused office and detained by the speaker's security guards. Attiyah was appointed acting speaker and the Iraqi Accord Front was asked to nominate a replacement within a week.


2006 Iraqi government formation, Ministers
On May 20, 2006 the Iraqi National Assembly approved the following cabinet proposed by Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki. The Cabinet included three temporary ministers of Defense, Interior and National Security who were replaced after agreement was reached on who would fill these places.


2006 Iraqi government formation, Ministers
There are four women in the 37-member cabinet: Narmin Othman, Bayan Dizayi, Wijdan Michael, and Faten Mahmoud.


2006 Iraqi government formation, Ministers, Appointment process
Because of the weakness of the Prime Minister, individual ministers are expected to have significant independence in the running of their own departments. Particular importance was given to the Interior, Defense and Oil Ministries, and negotiations over the allocation of Ministries were lengthy.


2006 Iraqi government formation, Ministers, Appointment process
The United States intervened on February 1 in the negotiations, calling for the Interior and Defense Ministries to be allocated to candidates who are "not regarded as sectarian". The US Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad threatened to withdraw military aid if this was not done. The United Kingdom Foreign Secretary, Jack Straw also echoed this in talks with Talabani on February 20, 2006, saying these departments should be in the hands of "technocrats". Prime Minister-designate Ibrahim al-Jaafari reacted angrily, saying "Iraqis would not accept interference in their affairs".


2006 Iraqi government formation, Ministers, Security Ministers
Negotiations continued between the coalition parties over the posts of Defense, Interior and National Security Minister. It was agreed that the Defense post should go to a Sunni Arab and the Interior to a Shi'ite Arab. It was also agreed that the three would be appointed for a six-month trial period. On May 28 the former Iraqi generals Baraa Najib al-Ruba'i and Nasser al-Ameri were tipped by the Turkish Press for Defense and Interior. Maliki was reported to favour al-Ruba’i for Minister of Defense and General Tawfiq al-Yasiri for Interior Minister. Other candidates discussed in the local press were:


2006 Iraqi government formation, Ministers, Security Ministers
The new ministers were finally agreed and sworn in at a meeting of the Assembly on June 8:


2006 Iraqi government formation, Ministers, Security Ministers
Only 198 out of 275 Assembly members were present and many were unaware of the nominees until they were announced. The Ministers required an absolute majority – 138 – to be confirmed, and received 182, 142 and 160 respectively with the IAF opposing Obeidi and Waili. The IAF had originally proposed Obeidi.


2006 Iraqi government formation, Ministers, Sadrist resignations
On June 12 Al-Sabah newspaper reported that Transport Minister Karim Mahdi Salih, Minister of State for Tourism and Antiquities Liwaa Semeism and Minister of State for Governorate Affairs Saad Taher al-Hashimi may be forced to resign due to allegations of incompetence. However, Al-Mashriq newspaper claimed they were former Baath Party members.


2006 Iraqi government formation, Ministers, Iraqi Accord Front resignations
On 2006-07-01, Tayseer Najah al-Mashhadani, a female Assembly member from the Iraqi Accord Front was kidnapped in Baghdad. The Accord Front accused Shiite militias of being behind the kidnapping and started a boycott of the National Assembly in protest. On July 8, they said they were considering also withdrawing their four ministers if Mashhadani was not released. She was released unharmed in September.


2006 Iraqi government formation, Ministers, Iraqi Accord Front resignations
On 2007-08-01, the Front withdrew from the government, and its six representatives resigned. They had demanded the disbanding of Shi'ite militias, pardoning detainees who had not been charged and stopping raids.


2006 Iraqi government formation, National Security Council
On January 22 the Kurdish leaders agreed, as part of the Salahuddin Principles, to support the creation of a National Security Council, which would involve the minority parties in the running of the government, and particularly oversee the operation of the Interior and Defense Ministries.


2006 Iraqi government formation, National Security Council
On March 19 the parties agreed to form this council, and agreed it would consist of nineteen members, headed by President Talabani, and split as follows:


2006 Iraqi government formation, National Security Council
However on April 4 Ayatollah Hadi al-Modarresi met with the most senior Shi'ite cleric, Ali al-Sistani, to complain that the creation of this council was an attempt to steal the election from the Alliance and constrain the Prime Minister. He called instead for a national referendum to resolve any disputes.


2006 Ireland rugby union tour of New Zealand and Australia
The 2006 Ireland rugby union tour of New Zealand and Australia was a series of matches played in June 2006 in New Zealand and Australia by Ireland national rugby union team.


2006 Ireland rugby union tour of New Zealand and Australia, First Test with All Blacks
New Zealand: 15.Mils Muliaina, 14.Doug Howlett, 13.Ma'a Nonu, 12.Aaron Mauger, 11.Joe Rokocoko, 10.Luke McAlister, 9.Byron Kelleher, 8.Rodney So'oialo, 7.Richie McCaw (capt. ), 6.Marty Holah, 5.Greg Rawlinson, 4.Chris Jack, 3.Carl Hayman, 2.Keven Mealamu, 1.Clarke Dermody,  – replacements: 17.Neemia Tialata, 18.Troy Flavell, 19.Jerome Kaino, 20.Jimmy Cowan      –  No entry : 16.Anton Oliver, 21.David Hill, 22.Scott HamiltonIreland: 15.Geordan Murphy, 14.Shane Horgan, 13.Brian O'Driscoll (capt. ), 12.Gordon D'Arcy, 11.Andrew Trimble, 10.Ronan O'Gara, 9.Peter Stringer, 8.Denis Leamy, 7.David Wallace, 6.Neil Best, 5.Paul O'Connell, 4.Donncha O'Callaghan, 3.John Hayes, 2.Jerry Flannery, 1.Marcus Horan,  – replacements: 16.Rory Best, 17.Bryan Young, 18.Mick O'Driscoll, 19.Keith Gleeson, 20.Isaac Boss, 21.Denis Hickie, 22.Girvan Dempsey


2006 Ireland rugby union tour of New Zealand and Australia, Second Test with All Blacks
New Zealand: 15.Mils Muliaina, 14.Doug Howlett, 13.Casey Laulala, 12.Aaron Mauger, 11.Joe Rokocoko, 10.Luke McAlister, 9.Byron Kelleher, 8.Rodney So'oialo, 7.Richie McCaw (capt. ), 6.Jerome Kaino, 5.Troy Flavell, 4.Chris Jack, 3.Carl Hayman, 2.Keven Mealamu, 1.Clarke Dermody,  – replacements: 16.Andrew Hore, 17.Neemia Tialata, 18.Greg Rawlinson, 19.Craig Newby, 20.Jimmy Cowan, 21.David Hill, 22.Ma'a Nonu Ireland: 15.Geordan Murphy, 14.Shane Horgan, 13.Brian O'Driscoll (capt. ), 12.Gordon D'Arcy, 11.Andrew Trimble, 10.Ronan O'Gara, 9.Peter Stringer, 8.Denis Leamy, 7.David Wallace, 6.Neil Best, 5.Paul O'Connell, 4.Donncha O'Callaghan, 3.John Hayes, 2.Jerry Flannery, 1.Marcus Horan,  – replacements: 16.Rory Best, 17.Bryan Young, 18.Mick O'Driscoll, 19.Keith Gleeson, 20.Isaac Boss, 21.Denis Hickie, 22.Girvan Dempsey


2006 Ireland rugby union tour of New Zealand and Australia, Test against Wallabies
Australia: 15.Chris Latham, 14.Mark Gerrard, 13.Stirling Mortlock, 12.Mat Rogers, 11.Lote Tuqiri, 10.Stephen Larkham, 9.George Gregan (capt), 8.Rocky Elsom, 7.George Smith, 6.Mark Chisholm, 5.Dan Vickerman, 4.Nathan Sharpe, 3.Guy Shepherdson, 2.Tai McIsaac, 1.Greg Holmes,  – replacements: 16.Jeremy Paul, 17.Al Baxter, 18.Wycliff Palu, 19.Phil Waugh, 20.Sam Cordingley, 21.Clyde Rathbone, 22.Cameron Shepherd Ireland: 15.Girvan Dempsey, 14.Shane Horgan, 13.Brian O'Driscoll (capt. ), 12.Gordon D'Arcy, 11.Andrew Trimble, 10.Ronan O'Gara, 9.Peter Stringer, 8.Denis Leamy, 7.David Wallace, 6.Neil Best, 5.Paul O'Connell, 4.Donncha O'Callaghan, 3.John Hayes, 2.Jerry Flannery, 1.Marcus Horan,  – replacements: 16.Rory Best, 17.Bryan Young, 18.Mick O'Driscoll, 19.Keith Gleeson, 20.Isaac Boss, 21.Jeremy Staunton, 22.Geordan Murphy


2006 Ireland rugby union tour of New Zealand and Australia, Touring party
Ireland sent a squad of 31 players on the tour.


2006 Irish Greyhound Derby
The 2006 Irish Greyhound Derby took place during August and September with the final being held at Shelbourne Park in Dublin on 9 September 2006.


2006 Irish Greyhound Derby
The winner Razldazl Billy won €175,000 and was trained by Dolores Ruth, owned by Liam Marks and bred by Tommy Holden, whelped down by Michael Power and reared by Shirley Ruth. The race was sponsored by the Paddy Power.


2006 Irish Greyhound Derby, Competition Report
Double English Greyhound Derby champion Westmead Hawk was unable to travel to Ireland for the 2007 Irish Derby, which meant the ante-post betting was headed by Droopys Electric.


2006 Irish Greyhound Derby, Competition Report
The defending champion He Said So who had been resting for 322 days, returned to action by winning his preliminary round heat in 29.74. Droopys Electric and Bar The Devil were also winners. In the first round He Said So claimed another win in 29.90 but ante-post favourite Droopys Electric was eliminated and Champion Stakes winner Large Me was knocked over and knocked out. Leading winning times were Si Senor (29.71), Goldstar Lee (29.79) and Bar The Devil (29.79).


2006 Irish Greyhound Derby, Competition Report
Si Senor produced a fast run of 29.57 in round two and was installed as the new favourite, but He Said So won again in 29.59 and a new prefix of Razldazl (named after the musical Chicago), first came to light when Razldazl Billy won his second round race. Bar The Devil remained unbeaten after a quarter final success but Si Senor was eliminated. Ardkill Jamie and Skywalker Magic took the remaining two heats one of which contained He Said So who kept his dreams alive of a famous double by recovering well after trouble.


2006 Irish Greyhound Derby, Competition Report
Razldazl Billy won the first semi-final from Antrim Classic and Bar the Devil, 4-7 favourite He Said So missed the break and the chance to defend his title in the final had gone. The concluding semi-final ended with a win for 10-1 shot Barefoot Jenny leading home Trey United and Skywalker Magic.


2006 Irish Greyhound Derby, Competition Report
In the final Razldazl Billy recorded 29.49 and eased to a six length victory. The favourite Bar The Devil had clashed on the first bend with Antrim Classic, the latter running very well to get up for second place.


2006 Irish Professional Championship
The 2006 Irish Professional Championship was a professional invitational snooker tournament which took place in October 2006. The tournament was held at the Spawell Sport & Leisure Complex in Templeogue, and featured sixteen exclusively Irish and Northern Irish players.


2006 Irish Professional Championship
The last-16 and quarter-final matches were played over the best of nine frames, the semi-finals best of eleven and the final best of seventeen. Ken Doherty won the event, beating Michael Judge 9–4 in the final.


2006 Ironman World Championship
The 2006 Ironman World Championship was a long distance triathlon competition that was held on October 21, 2006 in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii. It was the 30th edition of the Ironman World Championship, which has been held annually in Hawaii since 1978. The championship was organized by the World Triathlon Corporation (WTC).


2006 Ishikawa gubernatorial election
Ishikawa Prefecture held a gubernatorial election on March 19, 2006. Incumbent Masanori Tanimoto won his fourth term. Tanimoto was backed by the Liberal Democratic Party, New Komeito Party, and the Social Democratic Party.


2006 Islamist demonstration outside the Embassy of Denmark in London
The 2006 Islamist demonstration outside the Embassy of Denmark in London took place on 3 February 2006, in response to controversy surrounding the publication of editorial cartoons depicting the Islamic prophet Muhammad in the Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten on 30 September 2005. The extremist UK-based Islamist groups al Ghurabaa and The Saviour Sect staged a controversial protest march from London Central Mosque near Marylebone Station to the Danish Embassy near Knightsbridge Underground station.


2006 Islamist demonstration outside the Embassy of Denmark in London, Al Ghurabaa call Muslims to protest
Al Ghurabaa published an article on their website entitled, "Kill those who insult the Prophet Muhammad". The article states, "The insulting of the Messenger Muhammad is something that the Muslims cannot and will not tolerate and the punishment in Islam for the one who does so is death". Then on 31 January 2006 they issued a press release calling "all Muslims to rise & defend the honour of the Messenger Muhammad."


2006 Islamist demonstration outside the Embassy of Denmark in London, Al Ghurabaa call Muslims to protest
They stated that the "Islamic verdict on individuals who insult any Prophet needs to be passed by an Islamic Court and implemented by the Islamic State" but go on to explain how they believe the "55 Muslim countries in existence today all implement non-Islamic law and their insults to the Messenger Muhammad are worse than what appears in the newspapers.... Clearly were it not for the fact that they fear being overthrown by an angry Muslim population, not a word would have been mentioned about the current incident from the leaders of Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Bahrain, Pakistan, Kuwait, etc".


2006 Islamist demonstration outside the Embassy of Denmark in London, The protest
The protest occurred on Friday 3 February. The Metropolitan Police stated in a briefing that 450 protesters attended the Friday demonstration, 3,500 attended on Saturday in protests by other groups.


2006 Islamist demonstration outside the Embassy of Denmark in London, The protest
Some protesters waved placards reading slogans such as "Massacre those who insult Islam", "Butcher those who mock Islam", "Be prepared for the real holocaust", "Europe you will pay, your 9/11 is on the way", or "7/7 is on its way"; "Europe you will pay, Bin Laden is on his way", "Freedom go to hell" and "Europe you'll come crawling, when the Mujahideen come roaring". Despite the similar theme on al Ghurabaa's website, their spokesman, Anjem Choudary, said he did not know who wrote the placards.


2006 Islamist demonstration outside the Embassy of Denmark in London, The protest
Bricklaying student Omar Khayam, 22, from Bedford, was photographed wearing a garment resembling a suicide bomber's jacket outside the Danish Embassy. Police tried to stop press photographers from taking pictures of Omar in the 'bomb vest'. Omar said he had no regrets about his style of dress, telling the Daily Express, "I didn't go there to cause anyone any harm. I went along just to attend a protest. Yet I have been branded a suicide bomber overnight. Did I say, 'Kill Jews?' No. Did I have racist signs on me? No. So why this reaction?" He went on, "Yes, I would do it again to make a point. I could have gone along and held up banners or something, but this made the point better".


2006 Islamist demonstration outside the Embassy of Denmark in London, The protest
Two men attended the protest to stage a counter-demonstration, handing out leaflets reading"Free speech or no free speech? You decide" and "Should these cartoons be banned? ".


2006 Islamist demonstration outside the Embassy of Denmark in London, Reactions
David Davis, the Shadow Home Secretary, said that slogans such as "Massacre those who insult Islam" amounted to incitement to murder and that police should take "a no tolerance" approach to them. He told the Sunday Telegraph, "Clearly, some of these placards are incitement to violence and indeed incitement to murder." Dominic Grieve, the Conservative legal affairs spokesman, expressed concern that it could prove impossible to identify those responsible because arrests had not been made at the time. He said, "It is certainly not a happy state of affairs where such a demonstration takes place and those people who are acting in that way don't end up under arrest before the demonstration is ended."


2006 Islamist demonstration outside the Embassy of Denmark in London, Reactions
David Winnick, on the Commons home affairs committee, said those carrying banners threatening violence should be prosecuted and, where possible, deported. "Those who are temporarily in Britain, the sooner they are out of the country the better," he said. "Those who have been given permission to live here, insofar as it is possible in law, it would be better for this country and indeed for the Muslim community if that right was removed." The Labour MP Shahid Malik, also on the committee, wrote to Sir Ian Blair, head of the Metropolitan Police, calling for prosecutions.


2006 Islamist demonstration outside the Embassy of Denmark in London, Reactions
Tony Blair said, "There is a real sense of outrage....it is very important for our overall good relations in this country that people understand there is no political correctness that should prevent the police from taking whatever action they think is necessary". Simon Hughes, Liberal Democrat President states, "To forbid the freedom to offend is not compatible with modern multi-cultural societies. But inciting violence is always wrong and a crime. The leaders of the great faith communities should together make clear that the strength of their religions can withstand all attacks, satirical or otherwise. They should respond to attacks with frankness and clarity but never with hate or retaliation."


2006 Islamist demonstration outside the Embassy of Denmark in London, Reactions
UK newspapers express disgust at Omar Khayam's protest and his picture made the front page of The Sun. Pictures of Khayam was among those studied by the Scotland Yard team, which also examined police CCTV and sound recordings to identify any offenders and pass on evidence of any offences to the Crown Prosecution Service.


2006 Islamist demonstration outside the Embassy of Denmark in London, Reactions
The Metropolitan Police, under fire for the lack of arrests, issued a statement, "Those gathered were well natured and in the main compliant with police requests. Arrests, if necessary, will be made at the most appropriate time. This should not be seen as a sign of lack of action ... The decision to arrest at a public order event must be viewed in the context of the overall policing plan and the environment the officers are operating in. Specialist officers were deployed on both days to record any potential evidence should it be needed at any point in the future. All complaints will be passed to the public order crime unit for further investigation".


2006 Islamist demonstration outside the Embassy of Denmark in London, Reactions
On 6 February, the Home Office requested briefing from the Metropolitan Police's Public Order Branch to provide assessment of two demonstrations. This document was later obtained by the BBC under the Freedom of Information Act and its contents were reported, including some controversial claims. The document states that the Saturday protesters "were encouraged by a large group of photographers and cameramen" although no news organisations or individual's names were given.


2006 Islamist demonstration outside the Embassy of Denmark in London, Reactions
The protest was also condemned by the Muslim Public Affairs Committee UK, an organisation which encourages British Muslims to vote against politicians who support the Iraq war and/or Israel. MPACUK's leader Asghar Bukhari called for the arrest of the protest's leaders.


2006 Islamist demonstration outside the Embassy of Denmark in London, Aftermath, Apology
On 6 February 2006, Omar Khayam, accompanied by the chairman of his local mosque and by Patrick Hall MP apologised "wholeheartedly" to the families of the July 2005 London bombings and said it had not been his aim to cause offence. He said, "Just because we have the right of free speech and a free media, it does not mean we may say and do as we please and not take into account the effect it will have on others. But by me dressing the way I did, I did just that, exactly the same as the Danish newspaper, if not worse."


2006 Islamist demonstration outside the Embassy of Denmark in London, Aftermath, Apology
In 2002 Khayam was jailed for possessing crack cocaine with intent to supply. Having been released on parole in 2005 after serving half of his six-year sentence, he was arrested the next morning for breaching his parole conditions, and returned to prison. The Daily Mirror interviewed an 'insider' who knew Khayam at Springhill Prison. Their source said,


2006 Islamist demonstration outside the Embassy of Denmark in London, Aftermath, Apology
He was a very quiet guy and would only ever speak out when he was with other extremists. He told people that he would use the money from drugs for the cause, meaning radical Muslim groups. He has obviously become even more radicalised since he got out. It was well known that Omar made a lot of money from drugs. He was part of a large crew in Bedford. His street name is Skinner and there are a lot of drug users in the town who know him through these connections. When he got involved with these groups linked to terror I think a lot of non-Muslim prisoners felt they didn't want much to do with him any more.


2006 Islamist demonstration outside the Embassy of Denmark in London, Aftermath, Glorification of terrorism debate
On 14 February 2006, the Muslim Council of Britain (MCB) urged Parliament to vote for the removal of the 'glorification of terrorism' clause from the Terrorism Bill. The MCB say the Bill is perceived as "unfairly targeting Muslims and stifling legitimate debate." Tony Blair managed to win the battle, banning the glorification of terrorism, by 315 to 277 votes.


2006 Islamist demonstration outside the Embassy of Denmark in London, Aftermath, Glorification of terrorism debate
He said, "The new law will mean that if people are going to start celebrating acts of terrorism or condoning people who engage in terrorism, they will be prosecuted, and if they do not come from this country, they should not be in this country. We have free speech in this country, but you cannot abuse it."


2006 Islamist demonstration outside the Embassy of Denmark in London, Aftermath, Glorification of terrorism debate
William Hague, standing in for David Cameron, said at Prime Minister's Questions that the inclusion of "glorification" in the Bill was mere spin, an attempt to give the impression that tough action was being taken. "Wouldn’t it be better to have a watertight law designed to catch the guilty, rather than a press release law designed to catch the headlines?" he said. Tony Blair replied, "If we take out the word 'glorification' it sends a massive counter productive signal".


2006 Islamist demonstration outside the Embassy of Denmark in London, Aftermath, Glorification of terrorism debate
Blair insisted that an offence of glorifying terror was the only way to prosecute demonstrators who carry banners praising the 7/7 bombers. He said that existing laws only allowed prosecutions for preaching hate by word of mouth, but not by the written word or through placards. Hague said that he was mistaken.


2006 Islamist demonstration outside the Embassy of Denmark in London, Aftermath, Criminal charges
There was considerable outcry at the perceived inaction on the part of the police to counter the protests. David Davis wrote to the Home Secretary stating that "[t]here is a clear public interest in ensuring that those who incite murder are appropriately dealt with and an equal public interest that there is no unnecessary delay. Furthermore, not to take action is to let down the moderate Muslim majority". It was reported that members of the public made more than 500 complaints to Scotland Yard about the demonstration.


2006 Islamist demonstration outside the Embassy of Denmark in London, Aftermath, Criminal charges
The two charges of using either spoken or written words to cause 'Intentional Harassment, Alarm Or Distress', under Section 5 of the Public Order Act 1986, carry a maximum sentence of 6 months' imprisonment, whereas those causing 'Racially Aggravated Intentional Harassment, Alarm Or Distress', under Section 31 of the Crime and Disorder Act 1998, carry a maximum sentence of 2 years' imprisonment.


2006 Islamist demonstration outside the Embassy of Denmark in London, Aftermath, Criminal charges
On 7 March 2006, having reviewed 60 hours of footage from closed-circuit television, amongst other evidence, and after consultation with and authorisation by the Crown Prosecution Service, the Metropolitan Police announced, "We have been advised today that there are sufficient grounds to arrest individuals for offences under the Public Order Act. This includes offences that are racially or religiously aggravated".


2006 Islamist demonstration outside the Embassy of Denmark in London, Aftermath, Criminal charges
On 15 March 2006, five men were arrested and charged for their roles in the protests; one of them was charged and held in custody, two were charged and released on police bail to attend court, and the remaining two were released on police bail for further inquiries. Further arrest were made in the following months and a total of six people have been criminally charged.


2006 Islamist demonstration outside the Embassy of Denmark in London, Aftermath, Criminal charges
Omar Bakri Mohammed, speaking from Lebanon, issued a warning to Britain after a police raid on his London home, "I am warning the British government – you are playing with fire. Let them go to hell – all of them. Play with fire and you burn your fingers." He said his family was "terrified" as the police searched his London home, adding, "They took my computers".


2006 Isle of Man TT
The 99th anniversary Isle of Man TT Festival ran between Saturday 27 May and Friday 9 June on the 37.73-mile Mountain Course. The first week (between 27 May and 2 June) is known as the practice week, before the real action commenced on 3 June. There were 6 races in TT week. John McGuinness broke the lap record during practice for the Superbike race and then did it again in the race itself. He recorded a lap of 17:41.71, breaking the Superbike record from last year by 8.62 seconds and his outright lap record by 2.1 seconds.


2006 Isle of Man TT
McGuinness then went on to take his first TT hat-trick by winning the Senior TT on 9 June, destroying the lap record in the process. He set a lap of 17:39.95 from a standing start then 17:29.26 on his 2nd lap (breaking his own lap record by 10 seconds). However, the meeting was overshadowed by the death of Japanese rider Jun Maeda on 6 June due to injuries suffered in a practice crash.


2006 Isle of Man TT, Results
Note: Ian Hutchinson did finish 2nd in the Supersport race, but was later disqualified, as his Kawasaki ZX-6 was deemed to be illegal due to a 0.2mm (0.02 cm) difference in cam dimensions. However, McAdoo Racing (Hutchinson's team) have lodged an appeal to have the position re-instated.


2006 Islington London Borough Council election
The 2006 Islington Council election took place on 4 May 2006 to elect members of Islington London Borough Council in London, England. The whole council was up for election and the Liberal Democrats lost overall control of the council to no overall control.


2006 Islington London Borough Council election, Election result
The results saw the Liberal Democrats lose their majority on the council, after the Labour party made a gain of 12 seats. The Green Party meanwhile gained a seat on the council.


2006 Israeli Basketball League Cup
Winner Cup 2006 is the 1st edition of the Israeli basketball pre-season tournament - Winner Cup. It was played on 15 October-19 October in Jerusalem at the Malha Arena, during the jewish holiday of Sukkot. Ironi Ashkelon has won the cup after beating Maccabi Rishon LeZion 79-73 in the final.


2006 Israeli Basketball League Cup, Withdrawals
The teams that finished at the top eight places on Basketball Super League 2005–06 were supposed to compete in the tournament.


2006 Israeli Basketball League Cup, Withdrawals
Maccabi Tel Aviv that finished 1st in the 2005-06 season has withdrawn from the tournament due to schedule problems.


2006 Israeli Basketball League Cup, Withdrawals
Hapoel Tel Aviv that finished on the 8th place was relegated to the 2nd division due to financial problems and was not eligible to compete in the tournament.


2006 Israeli Basketball League Cup, Withdrawals
The both teams were replaced by the 9th and 10th ranked teams - Bnei HaSharon and Ironi Ramat Gan, respectively.


2006 Israeli Basketball League Cup, Tournament Bracket
The teams were matched by their last season standings (2nd VS 10th, 3rd VS 9th, etc...).


2006 Israeli legislative election
Elections for the 17th Knesset were held in Israel on 28 March 2006. The voting resulted in a plurality of seats for the then-new Kadima party, followed by the Labor Party, and a major loss for the Likud party.


2006 Israeli legislative election
After the election, the government was formed by the Kadima, Labor, Shas, and Gil parties, with the Yisrael Beiteinu party joining the government later. The Prime Minister was Ehud Olmert, leader of Kadima, who had been the acting prime minister going into the election.


2006 Israeli legislative election, Background, 2003 election and later developments
In the 2003 elections, Likud, under the leadership of Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, had a convincing win by Israeli standards, winning 38 seats in the 120-member Knesset (parliament), with Sharon perceived as tough anti-terrorist leader on the wings of his 2002 Operation Defensive Shield. Labor, led by Amram Mitzna under slogans for "disengagement" from Gaza, won only 19 seats and did not initially join the new government.


2006 Israeli legislative election, Background, 2003 election and later developments
Following the 2003 elections Likud suffered severe divisions over several positions taken by Sharon, most notably his adoption of a plan to withdraw Israeli settlers and troops from the Gaza Strip. This was exactly the position taken by Labor and denounced as being defeatist by Sharon prior to the 2003 elections, so it caused tension within the Likud party and in January 2005 Shimon Peres led Labor into a coalition with Sharon to allow the Gaza withdrawal to proceed despite opposition from a majority of Likud members.


2006 Israeli legislative election, Background, Fall of the Likud-led government
As of the fall of 2005, Peres's Labor Party was providing the votes necessary for the Likud-led 30th Government to maintain its majority support in the Knesset. In Labor's internal leadership election scheduled for early November, Amir Peretz campaigned for the party leadership on a platform that included withdrawing Labor from the Sharon-led coalition. Peretz narrowly defeated Peres in the leadership election on November 9, 2005, and two days later all Labor ministers resigned from the Cabinet and Labor withdrew its support for the Government, leaving it without majority support in the Knesset.


2006 Israeli legislative election, Background, Fall of the Likud-led government
Negotiations between Sharon and Peretz set the election date for 28 March 2006. "I'm letting him [Sharon] choose a date in that period between the end of February and the end of March and whatever date he chooses is acceptable to me, the earlier the better," Peretz said at the time. Sharon said: "As soon as it became clear that the existing political framework was falling apart, I came to the conclusion that the best thing for the country is to hold new elections as soon as possible."


2006 Israeli legislative election, Background, Likud split and the formation of Kadima
The impending elections raised the prospect of a leadership election within Likud, with former Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu expected to challenge Sharon for the party leadership. In late November, Sharon and a number of other Likud ministers and Knesset members announced that they were leaving Likud to form a new, more centrist party, which was eventually named Kadima. The formation of Kadima turned the election into a three-way race among the new party, Labor and Likud, marking a shift from Israel's tradition of elections dominated by two major parties.


2006 Israeli legislative election, Background, Likud split and the formation of Kadima
Although Kadima was formed primarily of former Likud members, Peres (having lost the Labor leadership election to Peretz) also announced his support for the new party, and later officially left Labor. Peres cited Sharon's leadership skills as a reason for his party switch.


2006 Israeli legislative election, Background, Likud split and the formation of Kadima
Polls taken through the end of 2005 showed Sharon's Kadima Party enjoying a commanding lead over both Labor and Likud.


2006 Israeli legislative election, Background, Party leadership and list selections
Sharon, as founder of Kadima and incumbent Prime Minister, was universally expected to lead the new party into the March 2006 election. However, on 4 January 2006, Sharon suffered a haemorrhagic stroke, leaving him in a coma. On 31 January 2006, Kadima submitted its list of candidates, with Sharon excluded from the list due to his inability to sign the necessary documents to be a candidate. Ehud Olmert who had become Acting Prime Minister and acting chairman of Kadima when Sharon became incapacitated, now officially became the new party's candidate for Prime Minister. Peres was placed second on Labor's list of candidates. Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni was placed third on the Kadima list, with the understanding that she would be the senior Vice Premier if Kadima formed the next government.


2006 Israeli legislative election, Background, Party leadership and list selections
In the Shinui primaries, Tel Aviv council member Ron Levintal defeated Avraham Poraz for the number 2 spot. Poraz, a close ally of party leader Yosef Lapid, subsequently resigned from Shinui, as did most Shinui Knesset members, forming a breakaway party called Hetz (ha-Miflaga ha-Hilonit Tzionit or 'the Secular Zionist Party'). Lapid resigned as party leader on 25 January 2006, and Leventhal was subsequently elected the new party leader. Neither Shinui nor Hetz received sufficient votes to win any seats in the 17th Knesset. Shinui had won 15 seats in the 2003 election and was the third largest party in the 16th Knesset.


2006 Israeli legislative election, Background, Party leadership and list selections
On 30 January 2006 the right-wing National Union (Halchud HaLeumi), a coalition of three small parties (Moledet, Tkuma, Tzionut Datit Leumit Mitchadeshet), submitted a joint list with the National Religious Party. The merged list is headed by Binyamin Elon. The largely Russian immigrant Israel Beytenu (Israel Our Home) party has separated from National Union and is running a separate list.


2006 Israeli legislative election, Background, Party leadership and list selections
This separation occurred following polls that predicted that, when running separately, these two major rightist blocs would receive between 20 and 25 seats (in the previous elections, they had received only 7), and it turned out to be true: the National Union bloc received 9 seats and Israel Beytenu received 11.


2006 Israeli legislative election, Background, Party leadership and list selections
Likud selected Netanyahu as its leader, over then-Defense Minister Silvan Shalom. At Netanyahu's insistence, Shalom and the other remaining Likud ministers resigned from the Olmert-led government in January 2006.


2006 Israeli legislative election, Background, Party leadership and list selections
Polls conducted from January through March showed Kadima still enjoying a substantial lead, though somewhat reduced from polls taken under Sharon's leadership.


2006 Israeli legislative election, Key issues, The Israeli–Palestinian conflict, Fighting Palestinian militancy
During the al-Aqsa Intifada, more than a thousand Israelis were killed in Palestinian militant attacks. Israel's security policy during that time was focused on arresting or killing members of the militant organizations, through frequent military excursions into the Palestinian territories and (somewhat controversially) targeted killings, and to curb the movement of suspected militants – especially would-be suicide bombers – through the use of checkpoints.


2006 Israeli legislative election, Key issues, The Israeli–Palestinian conflict, Fighting Palestinian militancy
This policy won the support of the Jewish mainstream, but elements in the Jewish left, as well as the vast majority of the Arab population, vehemently opposed what they saw as excessive response to the security threat. Some claimed that Israel's policy was in fact encouraging more violence from the Palestinian side. Despite the decrease in violence during 2005 and 2006, or perhaps because of it, popular support for the security policy remained high among the Israeli public, which continued to fear suicide bombings and Qassam rocket attacks.


2006 Israeli legislative election, Key issues, The Israeli–Palestinian conflict, Fighting Palestinian militancy
During the 2006 electoral campaign, the center and right parties vowed to continue the relentless fight against the Palestinian militants. Even Labor, which was traditionally known for its dovish views, put "combating terrorism" at the top of its agenda on the Conflict. Opposition to the current security policy, especially the use of targeted killings and the existence of checkpoints on Palestinian soil, comes mainly from Jewish left parties such as Meretz and from the Arab parties.


2006 Israeli legislative election, Key issues, The Israeli–Palestinian conflict, Solutions to the conflict
In the wake of the disengagement plan, the political field in Israel split into two roughly distinct groups: those who are in favour of withdrawing from most or all of the West Bank (unofficially nicknamed "Blues"), and those who wish for that area to remain under Israeli control (so-called "Orange"). In particular, Ariel Sharon and his faction left Likud to form Kadima because of their support of ending Israeli control over the West Bank. However, the two groups are also divided internally as to what practical steps need to be taken during the next few years.


2006 Israeli legislative election, Key issues, Economic and social issues
Since Israel's establishment, the political scene has been dominated by security and peace issues. The major parties were mainly divided by the different approaches with regard to the Arab–Israeli and Israeli–Palestinian conflicts.


2006 Israeli legislative election, Key issues, Economic and social issues
The 2006 elections mark the first time a major party – the Labor Party – has placed economic and social issues on top of its agenda. This is mainly attributed to Amir Peretz's surprise victory over Shimon Peres in the November 2005 Labor leadership election; Peretz had left the party a few years earlier to form the socialist One Nation, which had only recently merged into Labor.


2006 Israeli legislative election, Key issues, Economic and social issues
Labor's social democratic approach, which includes promises to raise the minimum wage and allocate a pension for every worker, now stands in sharp contrast to the neo-liberal agenda promoted by Likud leader Binyamin Netanyahu. Serving as Finance Minister from 2003 to 2005, Netanyahu led a policy that encouraged economic growth and lower taxes at the expense of Israel's long-running welfare mechanism. This has alienated him from many Likud supporters, which traditionally hail from the lower and middle classes. In the campaign, Netanyahu claimed to have done this to "save the Israeli economy from collapse."


2006 Israeli legislative election, Key issues, Economic and social issues
In addition to Labor, the orthodox religious Shas, which has always claimed to champion the poor in Israeli society, also attacked Netanyahu's policies during the campaign, as did a number of small (and often new) socialist parties.


2006 Israeli legislative election, Key issues, Israel as a Jewish and democratic state, Relations between Jewish Law (Halacha) and the state
From 1948 to 2003, religious parties played a part in every coalition formed in Israel. Zionist religious parties focused on maintaining the balance between observants and seculars in issues such as education, Kashrut, keeping the Sabbath, and matrimonial law, while Haredi parties demanded funds for religious scholars and the continued exemption of their followers from military service (decided on by David Ben-Gurion in 1951.) All of this alienated many secular Israelis, who felt their personal freedoms were being infringed upon, and that they were unfairly carrying most of the burden.


2006 Israeli legislative election, Key issues, Israel as a Jewish and democratic state, Relations between Jewish Law (Halacha) and the state
This led to the rise of Shinui, which at the 2003 elections won 15 out of 120 seats and joined Ariel Sharon's coalition. Shinui failed in making significant changes to the status quo on religious issues, and quit the government in 2005 after Sharon decided to transfer funds to the ultra-Orthodox United Torah Judaism party. An internal quarrel caused most Knesset members from Shinui to form a new party (Hetz); both parties ran in the 2006 elections, although neither of them received any mandates.


2006 Israeli legislative election, Key issues, Israel as a Jewish and democratic state, Relations between Jewish Law (Halacha) and the state
Shinui, Hetz, Meretz, and Ale Yarok wish to promote what they see as key secular and democratic principles:


2006 Israeli legislative election, Key issues, Israel as a Jewish and democratic state, Relations between Jewish Law (Halacha) and the state
The various religious parties, both Zionist (National Religious Party) and Haredi (Shas, United Torah Judaism) strictly oppose these changes. They wish to see Israel's Jewish character strengthened through further enforcement of the Sabbath and changes in the educational system.


2006 Israeli legislative election, Key issues, Israel as a Jewish and democratic state, Relations between Jews and Arabs
Israeli Arabs constitute roughly 20% of the population in Israel. Many Israeli-Arab groups claim continued institutional and social discrimination against them in Israel. Because they are not Jews and many identify ethnically with Palestinians their identity often clashes with their citizenship in the Jewish state. There are large disparities in general living standard and education between Israeli Arabs and the non-Arab Israeli population; they also have a lower participation rate in the workforce. Discrimination and a lower proportion of females in the workforce are often cited as reasons for this.


2006 Israeli legislative election, Key issues, Israel as a Jewish and democratic state, Relations between Jews and Arabs
The Arab parties, the largest of which are the United Arab List, Balad and Hadash (a Jewish-Arab communist party, with mostly Arab composition and electorate), advocate abolition of all forms of ethnic inequality, and the establishment of a democratic bi-national state.


2006 Israeli legislative election, Procedures
Elections to the Knesset allocate 120 seats by party-list proportional representation, using the d'Hondt method. The election threshold for the 2006 election was set at 2% (up from 1.5% in previous elections), which is a little over two seats.


2006 Israeli legislative election, Procedures
After official results are published, the President of Israel delegates the task of forming a government to the Member of Knesset with the best chance of assembling a majority coalition (usually the leader of the largest party.) That designee has up to 42 days to negotiate with the different parties, and then present their government to the Knesset for a vote of confidence. Once the government is approved (by a vote of at least 61 members), they becomes Prime Minister.


2006 Israeli legislative election, Parliament factions
The table below lists the parliamentary factions represented in the 16th Knesset.


2006 Israeli legislative election, Extraparliamentary parties
Note: traditional left-right divisions in Israel are different from in most countries, being mostly based on the different positions with regard to security and the Israeli–Palestinian conflict. For example, the left-wing Meretz-Yachad mainly advocates negotiations with the Palestinians along the lines of the Geneva Initiative, while the right-wing National Union is opposed to any territorial concessions, yet both parties have strong histories of tabling social/welfare laws.


2006 Israeli legislative election, Pre-election opinion polling
Numbers in the table below are seats, out of a total of 120, as predicted by opinion polls prior to the election.


2006 Israeli legislative election, Pre-election opinion polling
As the electoral threshold stood at 2%, it was impossible for a party to receive only one seat in the Knesset.


2006 Israeli legislative election, Pre-election opinion polling
Note: Most Israeli pollsters lump the "Arab" parties together, so that the listed number is the total number of seats that the three main Arab lists (Raam, Balad, Hadash) are expected to obtain. In the event that one or more of the three lists does not pass the 2% threshold, the representation of these parties will be one to three fewer seats than listed by the polls.


2006 Israeli legislative election, Pre-election opinion polling
1 National Union and Yisrael Beiteinu together have 7 seats.


2006 Israeli legislative election, Pre-election opinion polling
2 Dahaf – published in Yedioth Ahronoth (and/or its affiliate site ) with the remark "The votes of the undecided were assigned to parties on the basis of additional questions."


2006 Israeli legislative election, Results
Voter turnout was the lowest in the history of Knesset elections, with only 63.6% of eligible voters voting. Turnout was down from  68.9% in 2003 and 78.7% in 1999. However, it was higher than the 62.5% in the 2001 elections for Prime Minister.


2006 Israeli legislative election, Immediate impact and coalition formation
For the second time in Israeli history (previously in 1999), no dominant party sat in the Knesset, only two medium (Kadima and Labor) and small-sized ones. Following the election Olmert stated that he prefers entering into a coalition with Labor, and that Peretz is a "suitable partner."


2006 Israeli legislative election, Immediate impact and coalition formation
On 2 April both Gil and Meretz recommended to Katzav that Olmert become Prime Minister. The next day, at a joint appearance, Olmert and Peretz announced that Kadima and Labor would be coalition partners and that Peretz would advise the President to tap Olmert as Prime Minister.


2006 Israeli legislative election, Immediate impact and coalition formation
On 6 April President Katzav formally asked Olmert to form a government officially making him Prime Minister-designate. A coalition government was formed consisting of Kadima, Labor, Shas and Gil. Olmert refused to accede to Peretz's demands for the Finance ministry, who was forced to accept the Defense ministry instead.


2006 Israeli legislative election, Immediate impact and coalition formation
In October 2006 with the coalition shaken after the 2006 Lebanon War, Olmert brought the right-wing Yisrael Beiteinu into government as well. However, they left the coalition in January 2008 in protest at peace talks with the Palestinian National Authority.


2006 Israeli legislative election, Immediate impact and coalition formation
The March 28, 2006, Knesset election results were surprising in many respects. The voter turnout of 63.2% was the lowest ever. The contest was widely viewed as a referendum on Kadima’s plans to disengage from the West Bank, but it also proved to be a vote on economic policies that many believed had harmed the disadvantaged. Kadima came in first, but by a smaller margin than polls had predicted. Labor, emphasizing socioeconomic issues, came in a respectable second. Likud lost 75% of its votes from 2003 because Kadima drained off supporters. Its decline also was due to Netanyahu, whose policies as Finance Minister were blamed for social distress and whose opposition to unilateral disengagement was unpopular with an increasingly pragmatic, non-ideological electorate.


2006 Israeli operation in Beit Hanoun
In 2006 the Israel Defense Forces launched Operation "Autumn Clouds" (Hebrew: מבצע ענני סתיו Mivtza Ananei Stav) beginning on 1 November 2006, following numerous rocket and mortar attacks on southern Israel, when the Israeli Defense Forces entered the Gaza Strip triggering sporadic fighting near Beit Hanoun. The operation was the first military endeavor undertaken by the Israeli military since Operation "Summer Rains" in the summer of 2006. The operation was launched to stop Palestinian rocket attacks into Israel.


2006 Israeli operation in Beit Hanoun
Palestinian government officials said on 7 November that IDF troops were beginning to withdraw, thus ending the operation. Fifty-three Palestinians, including 16 civilians, and an IDF soldier, were killed since 31 October.


2006 Israeli operation in Beit Hanoun, Timeline, 1 November raid
On 1 November 2006, in the largest military operation by Israel since Operation "Summer Rains", six Palestinians and one Israeli soldier were killed and 35 people were wounded during a raid on Beit Hanoun by the Israeli military. The raid involved three air strikes, sixty tanks backed by helicopter gunships. The AFP news agency reported that three houses were razed by Israeli bulldozers and a dozen homes were hit by tank shells. The raid was the beginning of Operation "Autumn Clouds" by the Israeli military. Both the Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas and the Prime Minister, Ismail Haniya, have described the raid as a massacre.


2006 Israeli operation in Beit Hanoun, Timeline, 3 November shootings
On 3 November 2006 one Palestinian woman was killed and ten were reported wounded by Israeli military fire. The women had gathered outside a mosque in Beit Hanoun after an appeal by the local radio for women to rescue Palestinian militants trapped inside a mosque by disguising the militants as women. The Israeli military claimed that their soldiers had spotted two Palestinian militants dressed in women's clothes hiding within the crowd of women, and that the militants were using the women as human shields.


2006 Israeli operation in Beit Hanoun, Timeline, 3 November shootings
The Prime Minister of the Palestinian Authority, Ismail Haniyeh, praised the women whom he said "...led the protest to break the siege of Beit Hanoun".


2006 Israeli operation in Beit Hanoun, Timeline, 7 November withdrawal
Palestinian government officials said on 7 November that IDF troops were beginning to withdraw, thus ending the operation. Fifty-three Palestinians, including 16 civilians, and an IDF soldier, were killed since 31 October.


2006 Israeli operation in Beit Hanoun, Timeline, 8 November shelling
Several civilian houses in Beit Hanoun were struck by shells, fired by the Israeli Defense Force. At least 19 Palestinian civilians were killed and 40 wounded.


2006 Israeli operation in Beit Hanoun, Timeline, 8 November shelling
One day later Assistant Secretary-General Angela Kane of the United Nations Department of Political Affairs briefed the U.N. Security Council on the shelling. She "urged both sides in the conflict to 'return to dialogue'". A resolution proposed by Qatar as condemnation of the shelling was brought before the Security Council and was vetoed by the United States, with the U.S. ambassador to the U.N. John Bolton calling the proposed resolution 'one-sided' and 'politically motivated'.


2006 Israeli operation in Beit Hanoun, Timeline, 8 November shelling
Following this rebuff, a watered-down and non-binding resolution was passed by the U.N. General Assembly on 17 November 2006 expressing the assembly's 'distress' at the shelling and calling for a fact-finding mission to be sent to Gaza. The resolution was passed by a majority including the European Union member states. Among the several objectors were the United States and Israel.


2006 Israeli operation in Beit Hanoun, Timeline, 16 November
On 16 November, Hamas and Islamic Jihad militants firing from Beit Hanoun launched a Qassam rocket at the Israeli town of Sderot, killing one and injuring one other. Israel's Prime Minister released a statement saying: "This is precisely the type of murderous attacks that we are trying to prevent. Israel will take any means necessary in protecting our citizens."


2006 Israeli operation in Beit Hanoun, Timeline, Aftermath
Israel refused to cooperate with the UN Human Rights Council and obstructed any international investigation into the matter. A Human Rights Council mandated mission which was to have been led by Archbishop Desmond Tutu, was refused to enter Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territory. On 11 November the United States vetoed a Security Council draft resolution calling for the establishment of a fact-finding mission into the events of 8 November in Beit Hanoun.


2006 Israeli operation in Beit Hanoun, Timeline, Aftermath
A UN report, written by the Special Rapporteur, concluded that ″it seems clear that the indiscriminate firing of shells into a civilian neighbourhood with no apparent military objective constituted a war crime, for which both the commanding officer and those who launched the 30-minute artillery attack should be held criminally responsible″.


2006 Israeli reserve soldiers' protest
The 2006 Israeli reserve soldiers' protest was a protest movement which called for the resignation of the government and the establishment of a state commission of inquiry (the highest form of inquiry commission in Israel, equivalent to a royal commission) into what they argued were crucial failures experienced during the 2006 Israel-Lebanon conflict. From late August to early October 2006, some of its followers were stationed in a tent city besides the Israeli government building, and several large demonstrations were carried out to protest against the conduct of the government before, during, and after the war.


2006 Israeli reserve soldiers' protest, Origin of reserve soldiers' protest
The protest began on August 21 after a dozen reservists who served on the southern Lebanese military front, situated their demonstration at a park besides the government building, calling for the government's resignation. The protest grew in momentum over several days, and as of August 25 it consisted of several hundred demonstrators, including the influential Movement for Quality Government. On August 24, several parents of Israel Defense Forces soldiers killed in the conflict joined the march. Over 2,000 people participated in the march on August 25.


2006 Israeli reserve soldiers' protest, Prospects for a state commission
Yaakov Hasdai, a member of the Agranat Commission, the national commission which investigated the aftermath of the Yom Kippur War, said that he "support[s] the call for the resignation of the top political echelon and the establishment of an inquiry commission" While the impact the protest had on the Israeli government remained uncertain, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert in a visit to Nahariya promised to invest over 2.5 billion dollars in northern Israel and to establish a commission of inquiry – but fell short of expressly calling it a "state commission" (legally, only a state commission has authority that can supersede the government).


2006 Israeli reserve soldiers' protest, Prospects for a state commission
Olmert was expected to announce what type of commission will be formed within a short while. On August 25, the Israel Broadcasting Authority reported that a state commission of inquiry is appeared likely to be formed within several days. Olmert was set to decide whether to appoint a governmental commission of inquiry or a more substantive state commission, or some other formula by August 27.


2006 Israeli reserve soldiers' protest, Prospects for a state commission
On September 9, tens of thousands participated in a demonstration calling for a state commission, which was held in Rabin Square, Tel Aviv. Among those who delivered speeches were Yossi Sarid and Moshe Arens. Much of the following efforts to establish mechanisms to investigate the war, were undertaken while the protests were active, and their responses to these attempts on the part of Olmert's government, played an important role in shaping public opinion and arguably, the eventual widening mandate of the commission which was formed.


2006 Israeli reserve soldiers' protest, Prospects for a state commission, Inspection probes
On August 28, Olmert announced that there will be no independent state or governmental commission of inquiry. Instead, two internal inspection probes were to be created, one to investigate the political echelon and another to examine the IDF, while a third investigation of the Home Front to be possibly undertaken by the state comptroller Micha Lindenstrauss (although Lindenstrauss, to the "amazement" of the PMO, said that he already has "the authority to investigate the war in Lebanon" and that he "report[s] only to the Knesset").


2006 Israeli reserve soldiers' protest, Prospects for a state commission, Inspection probes
These were to have a far more limited mandate and narrower authority than a single commission headed by a retired judge. Olmert stated that "we do not have the luxury to submerge in investigating the past. Anyone honestly knows that this is not what would fix the shortcomings." Haaretz noted that Olmert feared an inquiry commission could end up recommending he resigns the primeministership. The Israeli media was largely critical over the probes. Reactions from the protesters were wholly negative.


2006 Israeli reserve soldiers' protest, Prospects for a state commission, Inspection probes
The governmental and military inspection probes were to be chaired by former director of Mossad, Nahum Admoni, and former chief of staff, Amnon Lipkin-Shahak, respectively. The chairmanship of the governmental probe was originally offered to former minister of education, Amnon Rubinstein, but he refused. Israeli Defense Minister Amir Peretz has already appointed a military inspection probe headed by Shahak, but it ceased operating after a day due to public criticisms. It appears it will be revived in its hitherto composition. The third probe to examine the Home Front was expected to be announced soon thereafter.


2006 Israeli reserve soldiers' protest, Prospects for a state commission, Inspection probes
What was decisive about Olmert's decision was that the commissions were to have limited powers of investigation, censure, and that the political, military and civilian realms were to become split. Critics argued that these inspection probes amounted to a whitewash, due to their limited authority, limited investigatory scope, their self-appointed basis, and that neither will be headed by a retired judge. On August 30, about one hundred Movement for Quality Government members protested in front of the house of the law Professor Yaakov Dror, a member of the governmental inspection probe, calling on him to refuse to participate. Dror told the protesters that he "respects [their] opinion, but they should respect [his]", and said that he is in favour of Olmert's plan.


2006 Israeli reserve soldiers' protest, Prospects for a state commission, Inspection probes
On September 11, Olmert's appointment of retired judge Eliyahu Winograd to replace Admoni (who was to remain a member, but later resigned) as chair of a governmental commission, was approved by the Attorney General Menachem Mazuz. Winograd is a well-respected former judge who headed various earlier commissions, most recently in March 2005 in an IDF Probe to review the authority of the Military Censor.


2006 Israeli reserve soldiers' protest, Prospects for a state commission, Inspection probes
The Movement for Quality Government said, "Olmert continues a retreat and delay battle" and called on Winograd to decline the appointment, stating, "only a state commission headed by a judge appointed by the Supreme Court is the answer." The Winograd Commission, however, ended up being given a wider mandate than the earlier probe, which is said to amount to de facto state commission investigatory powers.


2006 Israeli reserve soldiers' protest, Prospects for a state commission, Labour opposition to inspection probes
These critics included, from the moderate left: the chair of Meretz-Yachad Yossi Beilin asked that no one testifies before these commissions, while the Movement for Quality Government called them "joke commissions" (in Hebrew joke is "bdicha" and inspection is "bdika", so this is a word play). From the right-national block: Likud stated "it was irrational that the Prime Minister appoints a commission that would investigate the Prime Minister." Former National Religious Party chair Knesset member Ephraim Eitam said that "this an ugly move by the government to escape its responsibility."


2006 Israeli reserve soldiers' protest, Prospects for a state commission, Labour opposition to inspection probes
From the centre-left, several Labour party ministers said they will resist the decision. Minister of Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, Ophir Pines-Paz said the commissions "do not have clear authorities", while Minister without portfolio in charge of the Israel Broadcasting Authority and General Secretary of Labour, Eitan Cabel said that he would call to other Labour ministers to oppose the formula. Haaretz reports that even Minister of Defense and Labour chair Amir Peretz might be considering opposing Olmert and calling for the establishment of a state commission. On August 31, Peretz announced that he opposes Olmert's plan and is in favour of a state commission of inquiry. Despite this opposition, eventually, Labour decided to support Olmert's plan, finding the Winograd Commission worthy although still preferring a formal state commission.


2006 Israeli reserve soldiers' protest, Prospects for a state commission, Winograd Commission
On September 18, the Winograd Commission convened for the first time after having met final approval by the government the day before. On that day, Attorney General Menachem Mazuz stated that the commission does not have the authority to recommend the resignation of the Prime Minister. The next day, the Movement for Quality Government submitted a petition to the Supreme Court, seeking an injunction to disqualify the Winograd Commission. On September 20, reservists heckled Olmert during his Rosh Hashana speech. The Commission held preliminary meetings with key witnesses (many of whom were top political and military decision makers) for about a week. For the next several weeks it reviewed material while deciding on the course and direction of its investigation. On November 2, it began hearing testimonies.


2006 Israeli reserve soldiers' protest, Criticisms of government failures
The demonstrators and other critics alleged significant shortcomings on both the military (led by the Northern Command) and civilian (led by the Home Front Command) fronts. On the latter, this involves the lengthy confinement to inadequate shelters and a lack of evacuation and government-led support, especially for those most in need. On the former, this involved criticisms from the logistical to the operative level. The reserve divisions especially, complained of a lack of or deficient equipment and basic necessities.


2006 Israeli reserve soldiers' protest, Criticisms of government failures
The Israeli Chief of Staff, Dan Halutz, himself involved in a scandal over the sale of his investment portfolio three hours after the war began, admitted failures. Earlier in the week, IDF Spokesperson clarified that a comment attributed to Israeli Technological and Logistics Directorate chief, Brigadier-General Avi Mizrahi, where he reportedly said that "if our fighters deep in Lebanese territory are left without food or water, I believe they can break into local Lebanese stores to solve that problem", was not made by him. On August 24, Minister of Defense Amir Peretz, called on the IDF to begin developing an anti-rocket system, potentially reviving the Nautilus Mobile Tactical High Energy Laser program which Israeli military experts such as Aluf Yitzhak Ben Yisrael had been calling for since its cancellation.


2006 Israeli reserve soldiers' protest, Accusations of a right-national agenda
The general secretary of Peace Now, Yariv Oppenheimer, accused the reservists of serving a right-national agenda. The reservists denied this charge, and in turn, pointed to Oppenheimer's affiliation with the Labour Party. There were others who argued that the protests were backed by right-national forces, but no conclusive evidence was offered to show the prevalence of any political affiliation among protesters.


2006 Israeli reserve soldiers' protest, Reserve soldiers and Movement for Quality Government
Throughout the protests' duration, the reservists and the Movement for Quality Government were divided by the extent of their demands, with the latter calling for the establishment of a state commission, while the former, joined by parents of soldiers killed in the war, also demanding the government's immediate resignation.


2006 Israeli reserve soldiers' protest, Decline and inactivity
By late September – early October, the protests increasingly dissipated, and virtually disappeared by the time the Winograd Commission began hearing testimonies on early November, it had virtually disappeared. Its impact on the manner in which post-war accountability was sought and will end up being pursued, remains arguably decisive. Following the Winograd Commission's preliminary report on April 30, 2007, on May 4, tens of thousands of protesters gathered to call on Olmert to resign. The demonstration was less seen as reservist-dirven. The reservist groups continued to criticize the government for its "irreparable harm". The chairman of Baltam, Roee Ron, stated that:


2006 Israeli reserve soldiers' protest, Decline and inactivity
To our surprise, after the Second Lebanon War and the Winograd Report, the government and the IDF are advancing a law against reserve duty. The preparedness of the reserve units must be taken care of, and reserve duty should only entail training. Plus, the harm to the soldiers' economic situation, employment and education must be dealt with."


2006 Israeli reserve soldiers' protest, Decline and inactivity
Some reservists have threatened to dodge the draft if key reforms are not implemented.


2006 Italian Athletics Championships
The 2006 Italian Athletics Championships was the 96th edition of the Italian Athletics Championships and were held in Turin.


2006 Italian Athletics Indoor Championships
2006 Italian Athletics Indoor Championships was the 37th edition of the Italian Athletics Indoor Championships and were held in Ancona.


2006 Italian Chamber of Deputies election, North and Central American division
The 2006 Italian general election was the first in the country's history in which Italian and dual citizens living outside the country could vote by postal ballot in international electoral districts. Twelve members of the Italian Chamber of Deputies and six members of the Italian Senate were elected in this way.


2006 Italian Chamber of Deputies election, North and Central American division
Italian and dual citizens in North America and Central America (including the Caribbean) elected two members of the Italian Chamber of Deputies. The winning candidates were Gino Bucchino of Romano Prodi's election coalition, The Union, and Salvatore Ferrigno of Silvio Berlusconi's Forza Italia party.


2006 Italian Chamber of Deputies election, North and Central American division, The process
All electors could vote for a political list and also cast a first preference vote for a specific candidate. Parties were allotted seats via proportional representation, and the candidates that led the electoral slates that won seats were declared elected.


2006 Italian Chamber of Deputies election, North and Central American division, The parties
Seven electoral lists contested the North and Central American Senate division. The same lists also fielded candidates for the Chamber of Deputies and North and Central America.


2006 Italian Chamber of Deputies election, North and Central American division, The parties
Prime minister Silvio Berlusconi's right-wing Forza Italia party ran its own slate. Two other parties aligned with Berlusconi's government ran separate lists: the moderate conservative Union of Christian and Centre Democrats and Mirko Tremaglia's right-wing For Italy in the World, which was specifically focused on diaspora issues. (Another party in Berlusconi's coalition, the Northern League, also appeared on the ballot, although this seems to have been due to a technical error).


2006 Italian Chamber of Deputies election, North and Central American division, The parties
The main opposition group from the previous parliament, Romano Prodi's centre-left Union party, ran a united slate. One of the Union candidates noted that the state of the party lists favoured his group's chances of election.


2006 Italian Chamber of Deputies election, North and Central American division, The parties
The centrist Independent Alternative for Italians Abroad also fielded a list, as did the far-right Tricolour Flame party.


2006 Italian Chamber of Deputies election, North and Central American division, The parties
Each of the party lists comprised four candidates, except for the Northern League, which fielded three, and the Tricolour Flame, which fielded two.


2006 Italian Chamber of Deputies election, North and Central American division, The results
Romano Prodi's Union received the most votes and won the first seat. Forza Italia finished second and was awarded the second seat.


2006 Italian Chamber of Deputies election, North and Central American division, The results
Source: , Ministerio dell'Interno, Government of Italy, accessed 27 July 2011. Voters were not required to give a preference vote for any candidate.


2006 Italian Chamber of Deputies election, North and Central American division, Detailed results by country
More than 93 per cent of the total votes were cast in the United States of America or Canada. Forza Italia won a narrow victory in America, while the Union won a significant victory in Canada.


2006 Italian Chamber of Deputies election, North and Central American division, Detailed results by country, United States of America
Source: , Ministerio dell'Interno, Government of Italy, accessed 27 July 2011.


2006 Italian Figure Skating Championships
The 2006 Italian Figure Skating Championships (Italian: Campionati Italiani Assoluti 2006 Pattinaggio Di Figura Su Ghiaccio) was held in Sesto San Giovanni from January 5 through 8, 2006. Skaters competed in the disciplines of men's singles, ladies' singles, ice dancing, and synchronized skating. The results were used to choose the teams to the 2006 Winter Olympics, the 2006 World Championships, the 2006 European Championships, and the 2006 World Junior Championships.


2006 Italian Formula Three Championship
The 2006 Italian Formula Three Championship was the 42nd Italian Formula Three Championship season. It began on 9 April at Adria and ended on 22 October at Misano after 16 races.


2006 Italian Formula Three Championship
Mauro Massironi of Passoli Racing dominated the season with a win at Magione and another eight successive wins at Vallelunga, Mugello, Varano and Pergusa and ultimately clinched the title. He finished 28 points clear of Corbetta Competizioni driver Davide Rigon, who won the opening race at Adria, a race at Magione and both of the season-ending races at Misano. Third place went to Lucidi Motors driver Alex Frassineti, who took one victory, and he finished ahead of Imola winner Michele Rugolo, who competed with Team Ghinzani.


2006 Italian Formula Three Championship, Teams and drivers
All teams were Italian-registered and all cars competed on Michelin tyres.


2006 Italian Grand Prix
The 2006 Italian Grand Prix (officially the Formula 1 Gran Premio Vodafone d'Italia 2006) was a Formula One motor race held on 10 September 2006 at Autodromo Nazionale di Monza. It was the fifteenth race of the 2006 Formula One season, and was won by Michael Schumacher driving a Ferrari car.


2006 Italian Grand Prix
Immediately following the race, Michael Schumacher announced that he would retire from motor racing at the end of the 2006 season. Robert Kubica achieved his first career podium finish, in only his third Grand Prix. It was also only the second Grand Prix meeting appearance of Kubica's Friday driver successor, Sebastian Vettel. Vettel had impressed at the Turkish Grand Prix by setting the fastest time in one session, but he set the fastest time in both Friday practice sessions at this Grand Prix.


2006 Italian Grand Prix
The race was also the first race to see the introduction of a new High Speed Barrier developed by the FIA Institute and the FIA. The system, which was installed at the end of the run-off areas at the circuit’s second chicane and Parabolica corners, was designed for use at corners with high speed approaches and limited run-off areas. Also this was the last race of the Red Bull driver Christian Klien, until his return to a race seat at the 2010 Singapore Grand Prix.


2006 Italian Grand Prix
After the race, in the press conference, Michael Schumacher announced his retirement from Formula One. The race was his 90th victory. Four years later however in 2010, Schumacher returned to F1 with Mercedes.


2006 Italian Grand Prix, Friday drivers
The bottom 6 teams in the 2005 Constructors' Championship and Super Aguri were entitled to run a third car in free practice on Friday. These drivers drove on Friday but did not compete in qualifying or the race.


2006 Italian Grand Prix, Race report
At the start Kimi Räikkönen got away in the lead with Michael Schumacher and Nick Heidfeld tussling over 2nd. By lap 2 Fernando Alonso was up to 6th past Heidfeld as Schumacher and Räikkönen begin to pull clear of the rest. On lap 10 Nico Rosberg lost power in his Williams and was the first retirement, his 4th consecutive retirement.


2006 Italian Grand Prix, Race report
On lap 15 Räikkönen pitted from the lead and two laps later Schumacher came in and jumped him, Robert Kubica took the lead stopping much later, on lap 23, which allowed Schumacher into the lead for the first time in the race. On lap 44 there was drama when Alonso pulled over with a smoky Renault after an engine failure, this caused a problem for Massa who locked up behind him and went off before pitting to change tyres. Michael Schumacher cruised to victory ahead of Räikkönen, with Kubica claiming his first podium in 3rd place.


2006 Italian Open (tennis)
The 2006 Italian Open (also known as 2006 Rome Masters and the 2006 Internazionali d'Italia) was a tennis tournament played on clay courts. It was the 63rd edition of the Italian Open and was part of the ATP Masters Series of the 2006 ATP Tour and of the Tier I Series of the 2006 WTA Tour. It took place at the Foro Italico in Rome, Italy from May 8 through May 22, 2006.