Word: baraker
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...Ehud Barak, the Israeli Prime Minister, doesn't care much about how things look. The tanks he supervised as an army officer were among the military's dustiest. The suits he wears as a civilian are unmodish and occasionally ill fitting. Points of ceremony do not rate with him. He refused to take umbrage when the Syrians sent merely their Foreign Minister to a peace summit with him last December--or to be insulted when his negotiating partner would not shake his hand...
...undecorous images produced last week by Israel's hastier-than-planned withdrawal from southern Lebanon. HUMILIATION! cried a newspaper as the retreating Israeli army blew up its outposts and let weapons and ammunition slip into the hands of the Lebanese militia Hizballah. In the midst of the muddle, Barak was a picture of equanimity. Addressing reporters after the pullout, he appeared buoyant. "I like criticism," he said, as he flashed a bit of his trademark thin-lipped smile. "It keeps our adrenaline...
...idea of an adrenaline junkie in the commander's chair was understandably nervousmaking in the volatile Middle East. In Washington there were worries that Hizballah or Palestinian extremists might somehow jeopardize the peace process by provoking Barak to retaliate. At the United Nations--which now has to police the Lebanese peace--there was some alarm that Barak had moved unilaterally, but that was followed by cautious optimism. The move was textbook Barak: surprising (his last name means "lightning" in Hebrew), courageous and smart...
...Barak: There are certain territories that he will claim and we will claim. Immediately a question will emerge who really is the sovereign there. The same night, if there is a unilateral declaration, we will take steps that might include a decision of annexing blocs of [Jewish] settlements [in the West Bank and Gaza Strip] or areas which are needed for our security or areas around Jerusalem and so on. So unilateral steps are a recipe for conflict and for an eruption of violence. It's a very quick countdown toward confrontation, whereas an agreement, even...
...Barak: It's too early to predict. I can hardly say that I predicted the Syrians' responses until now. The door was left by the Syrians slightly open, maybe a small crack. We will not close it. But I'm not very optimistic listening to the voices from Damascus. They are heavily busy now with some internal political issues, so I don't know. For the last three months, since they realized that I do really mean to pull out of Lebanon with or without an agreement with them, they began very actively to work on mobilizing extreme elements among...