Word: knesset
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...South Africa, raised in England, he was appointed Israel's first ambassador to the U.N. in 1949. From his Labor seat in parliament, he was named Foreign Minister in 1966 and remained in office for eight years--still a record for that post. After serving as chairman of the Knesset's foreign affairs and defense committee, the dovish Eban left parliament in 1988 after 29 years. He continues to campaign for peace with the Palestinians through speeches and writings. Author of a forthcoming book on post-cold war diplomacy, he's currently in New York City preparing a PBS film...
When Israelis voted last month, they elected their Prime Minister directly for the first time, and that gives Netanyahu semipresidential standing. Under the old system, the leader of the party that won the most seats in the Knesset was traditionally asked to form a government. In this case, it was Netanyahu, as the winner of the Prime Minister's race, who brought the party to power. Since the victory was his, Netanyahu believed he could largely ignore party chieftains as he dispensed Cabinet posts, choosing experts and individuals loyal to him instead...
...truth, Israelis themselves don't agree where their country should go, and they proved it twice over in the divided, fragmented Knesset they elected to govern with Netanyahu. They gave no clear-cut mandate to any leaders, vesting large parliamentary powers in small parties whose priorities sometimes dovetail and sometimes contradict one another as well as the major parties with which they will align. So what will happen when narrow interests intersect with global diplomacy, when domestic divisions come into confrontation with international demands, when campaign promises clash? Instability, paralysis, even folly...
...what was a virtual tie between Netanyahu and Peres. After Friday's results, Netanyahu will have 45 days to put together a coalition government. "He will form a coalition with right wing and centrist parties," says TIME's Lisa Beyer. "He can easily count on 66 of the 120 Knesset seat with an additional 3 seats that will support him outside of his government. This will give him a very strong hand and the ability to seriously hinder the peace process." Netanyahu owes his victory to the feeling among many Israelis that the peace with Palestinians has jeopardized their security...
...counting on the momentum he gained in the final week of campaigning, rising by as much as seven percentage points in some polls. Exit polling also led Israeli television station Channel 1 to predict significant losses for both the Likud and Labor in Israel's parliament, the 120-seat Knesset. The station estimated that Labor would hold 37 of its 44 seats, while it predicted that Likud would retain 31 of its present 40 seats, with other factions picking up the losses. -->