Both of them are women who have rekindled interest in the electoral politics of their country. Neither – unlike Hillary Clinton (or Eva Peron or Imelda Marcos) – has become a candidate for high office on the back of a reputation built as First Lady.

Both have strong families and strong opinions. Both have combined family with career, though neither could be described as conventional feminists. Both are within reach of office, despite the quantitively poor representation of women in their respective legislatures. Both have made pitches to be cleaners-up of the political environment. The simultaneous advance of both has been heralded in some quarters as heralding a "new era" for women in politics.

So Sarah Palin, John McCain's choice for US vice-presideny, and Tzipi Livni, newly elected as leader of Israel's ruling Kadima party, and potentially its next PM, certainly have something in common. The election of either to the offices they now seek would be something of a breakthrough.

Because Geraldine Ferraro never made it, thanks to the Reagan-Bush landslide in 1984, Mrs Palin would, if elected, be the US's first woman Veep. Livni would not create that kind of precedent – Golda Meir, elected to Israel's premiership in 1969, was there first. But Meir was something of a classic Iron Lady, Thatcheresque best-man-in-her-cabinet type. In contrast, Livni has even spoken a little disparagingly of "guy issues" describing the failures of the Lebanon war.

If Livni becomes PM, it would create Israel's first all-women troika in key posts: Dorit Beinisch is head of Israel's supreme court and Dalia Itzik is speaker of the Knesset. This is remarkable given that internationally Israel is 79th in terms of women in parliament, with 14%, worse than the US (69th with 16%) and UK (59th with 19%).

However, you can't ignore the differences between the two either. Palin's family has been thrust into the political limelight. Livni, who has a husband and two sons, has resolutely kept hers private. Secondly, Livni has a more impressive CV than the Alaska Governor. Two years in Mossad, 10 as a lawyer and experience as Foreign Minister.

And unlike for Palin, God doesn't play much part in Livni's politics. She is a secular Tel Aviv girl who believes Judaism does not mean dominance by the ultra-orthodox. Finally, the Israeli appears to have made a thought-out ideological move from the right to the centre. Palin, by contrast, seems to have hardened in her right-wing positions. All of which will make life interesting if they start doing business with each other in 2009.