Word: knesset
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Barak predicted he would win that special election, earning himself a "new mandate" to push ahead with his plans for a peace deal. Winning won't gain him much, though, because the same fractious and fragmented Knesset remains in place. In two months, Barak could find himself back to square one, trying to cobble together a coalition with right-wing and religious politicians without alienating the doves in his own party...
...Israel's Knesset was about to vote for a bill that would force new elections on Prime Minister EHUD BARAK, humiliating the man who took office 17 months ago. But Barak upstaged the body by saying he wouldn't oppose the bill. In effect, he squared off against opposition leader ARIEL SHARON and shadow candidate BENJAMIN NETANYAHU. If you want to fight, Barak said, let's rumble. But Barak had better watch his corner. Top names in his Labor Party are sneaking around the Knesset lining up support for taking over the party leadership before the likely May election. Barak...
...Barak may be banking on the legislators' being too attached to their jobs to pass that bill in time. Many of the smaller parties that share the Knesset with Likud and Barak's Labor party have little interest in a new parliamentary vote - most importantly, the powerful ultra-Orthodox Shas party, which grew substantially at Likud's expense in the last election, but which may shed some of those gains in an election fought in the heat of a Palestinian uprising. And Netanyahu also has to dispense with the Likud incumbent, Ariel Sharon, who has no plans to step aside...
...political and diplomatic position becomes. And the current crisis is ratcheting up domestic political pressure on Barak's beleaguered government, no matter how forcefully he responds to Palestinian attacks. The ultra-Orthodox Shas party has indicated that it plans, on Monday, to support an opposition motion to dissolve the Knesset and call new elections. That would make Barak a lame duck prime minister, precluding any new agreements with the Palestinians...
...have fatally undermined any deal forced through under these circumstances. After all, compelling Arafat to concede on Jerusalem would imperil not only himself, but also pro-Western Arab governments from Egypt to Saudi Arabia who would be expected to underwrite such a deal. And with a majority of the Knesset voting against Barak at last count, the Israeli leader's ability to deliver is considerably diminished - and the experience of having to negotiate with Benjamin Netanyahu in implementing a deal struck by his predecessor will be one the Palestinians won't be looking to repeat. So it may suit both...