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ISRAEL: Consulting the stars, and the coffee grounds

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Perhaps it’s just a sign of media bu rnout after the weeks of campaign chatter and electoral posturing that have preceded tomorrow’s Kadima Party race to replace outgoing Prime Minister Ehud Olmert.

Either way, the folks at Israel’s Army Radio got truly creative yesterday in handicapping the contest between Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni and Transportation Minister Shaul Mofaz.

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With Livni leading in most polls and Mofaz defiantly predicting victory, Army radio brought in an astrologist and a psychic specializing in palm reading and the distinctly Middle Eastern talent of divining fortunes from the remains of a cup of Turkish coffee.

Unfortunately for Mofaz, the mystics didn’t have any better news than the traditional pollsters. Both predicted a Livni victory, with the astrologist declaring that Livni’s birth date and star signs left her ‘better oriented for victory on Wednesday.’

No word yet on whether Mofaz is demanding a recount...

— Ashraf Khalil in Jersualem

P.S. The Los Angeles Times issues a free daily newsletter with the latest headlines from the Middle East, as well as the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan. You can subscribe by logging in at the website here, clicking on the box for ‘L.A. Times updates,’ and then clicking on the ‘World: Mideast’ box.

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