Word: baraker
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...candidacy quickly flopped, the retired general may be up for a lesser but still desirable job: ambassador to the U.S. The Center Party that Lipkin-Shahak represents in the newly elected parliament is almost certain to be a governing partner with the party of prime minister-elect Ehud Barak, who preceded Lipkin-Shahak as military chief of staff. And the two generals were once close, though their relationship tensed over Lipkin-Shahak's initial decision to run against Barak, instead of beside him, in the Labor party...
...doubt, Ehud Barak is heading into election day with momentum. However, if there was ever a cardinal rule about current Israeli politics, it is "do not underestimate Benjamin Netanyahu." The Western press may hate him, but a significant number of Israelis do not. It is also a fallacy to think that Netanyahu owes his success to a fringe group of anti-peace process zealots. In fact, those on the extreme right reject Bibi as too moderate and will not support him. Rather, Bibi's popular strength is much more organic. Netanyahu is the king of the Israeli underclass. Those...
Although unspoken as of yet, a national unity government between Netanyahu's Likud and Barak's Labor may be in the cards. Both candidates realize that it may be impossible to cobble together a sustainable coalition in the parliament. A government coalition composed of both major parties would enable Israel's leaders to execute the critical decisions necessary for peace based on real consensus. However, you won't hear either candidate utter the words "national unity" until after the elections. If Bibi were to do so, his ultra-Orthodox voters would not approach the ballot box. Likewise, if Barak spoke...
...Labor politician, a new soldier-statesman, is now in charge in Israel -- but the world shouldn't hold its breath waiting for a brave new era of Israeli-Palestinian peace. Ehud Barak's resounding victory in Monday's election is certainly grounds for hope, but only if tempered with a measure of caution. "Such optimism is based more on the assumption that the peace process is better off without Benjamin Netanyahu than on an understanding of who Barak is," says TIME Jerusalem bureau chief Lisa Beyer. "Barak is very hawkish. He's not an enthusiastic peacenik and, as military chief...
...Barak's status as an Israeli war hero at the head of the country's pro-peace party raises the temptation to liken him to the legendary soldier-statesman Rabin. "It's an understandable comparison, particularly since Rabin chose Barak as his long-term successor," says Beyer. "But Rabin went boldly out ahead of Israeli public opinion with the confidence generated by a long and distinguished military and political career. Barak is only starting out on his political career, and he's unlikely to be prepared to take similar risks." He may be no Yitzhak Rabin, but with the peace...