Word: netanyahu
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These days it isn't just the Likud faithful who like Netanyahu's message. Israelis generally blame Palestinian leader Arafat for nearly 18 months of violence that has left 351 Israelis dead--as well as 1,195 Palestinians. At week's end, Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, under U.S. pressure, seemed prepared to meet with high-level Palestinian representatives to discuss a possible cease-fire. Nonetheless, many Israelis still feel that Sharon has not delivered on his promise that he--and only he--could "bring security." One poll shows 73% are dissatisfied with Sharon's government; two right-wing ministers quit...
...would be a startling comeback for a man who rose to become Prime Minister at 45 in 1996, but was then trounced by Ehud Barak in the 1999 general election. Netanyahu built his reputation on polished speechmaking and free-market economics in a country where neither had ever been overpopular. But Netanyahu also came across as a demagogue who did not speak out when his supporters circulated a poster portraying then Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin in a Nazi SS uniform. Netanyahu may or may not have changed his spots; the intifadeh, however, has undoubtedly made Israel more susceptible...
...conflict. But in the past two months, as the bloodshed has worsened, Sharon's popularity has slipped; his personal approval rating is down to 35%. In the 3,000-member Likud central committee, his party's ruling body, the Prime Minister has the backing of just 630 members. Netanyahu has 1,680 in his pocket, according to an opinion poll published last week in an Israeli newspaper...
...Netanyahu's image remains problematic. He concedes that during his tenure as Prime Minister he mishandled personal relations with adversaries and allies alike. His respected Finance Minister, Dan Meridor, said Netanyahu was untrustworthy; he tried to appoint a low-level legal crony as attorney general; and even before his election he had to admit to marital infidelities, after rumors circulated that a rival had a video of him in flagrante. Many Israelis say he thinks like an American--he studied in Boston and spends much time in the U.S. In 1999 he was implicated in a bribery scandal, though charges...
...Netanyahu's supporters say his record in office was good. "Bibi cut the budget, and he reduced terrorist attacks," says Yuval Steinitz, a Likud parliamentarian. "It's his personal behavior that cost him his job." Besides, they contend, Netanyahu got a bad rap because he led the opposition when a right-winger assassinated Rabin in 1995--a time when Israel was deeply divided on the merits of the peace process. But Israel now is not what it was then. "People believed Pollyannaishly in the Oslo accords," Netanyahu says. "I was accused of foiling the dream. This time it's clear...