Above all, Barak plans. He
The question, which will take
peace process are disturbed that Barak
advances slowly, working quietly and
many times 100 days to answer, is
is allowing National Religious Party
in the shadows. Within the nation
this: Does Barak have the skill, flexi-
Housing Minister Yitzhak Levy to
and the coalition, he strives for con-
bility and good fortune to succeed? Is
approve hundreds of new homes
sensus — but on his terms. He bores
politics, a world he entered less than
within existing West Bank settle-
his critics into acquiescence. He care-
five years ago, as malleable as he
ments. (According to the group Peace
fully chooses which battles to fight.
believes? Is Israel, or the Mideast,
Now, 2,594 permits already have been
In governing, Barak gives all par-
ready for the Barak revolution? Does
issued under Barak's watch; that's
ties and all sides just enough to keep
he have the intellectual ability, and the
compared with an average of 3,000 a
them in line. The left will not rock
humility, to learn from his mistakes?
year under predecessor Binyamin
the boat while the peace process is on
On that last question, the jury is
Netanyahu.) The left is particularly
course. Nor will Palestinian leader
out. Barak is a control freak.
incensed that construction has begun
Yasser Arafat. The National Religious
Everyone agrees that he is a better
on Har Homa, a controversial new
Party is content that construction
talker than listener. He is voraciously
Jewish suburb between Jerusalem and
within the West Bank Jewish settle-
centralizing his administration: the
Bethlehem, and that a Jewish neigh-
ments is still going on.
prime minister's office already man-
borhood is rising within the Jerusalem
The Sephardi ultra-Orthodox Shas
ages both security and diplomacy. The
Arab village of Ras el-Amud, below
Party will continue to back down on
government planning and information
the Mount of Olives.
threats so long as the prime minister
services are being brought under its
Many women, too, are not happy.
continues to bail out its bankrupt edu-
roof, emasculating half a dozen min-
Barak appointed only two female
cational network. Yossi Sarid, the left-
istries and the venerable Government
ministers in a cabinet of 23. On top
wing, staunchly secular
of that, Israel's Arab
Education Minister from the
minority, who voted
Meretz Party, will pay the
overwhelmingly for
starving Shas teachers' wages,
Barak, are uneasy about
so long as the schools open
the crackdown (however
their classroom texts and
justified it seems to the
accounting books to scrutiny.
Jewish majority) on the
True, Shas' smaller,
Israeli Islamic
Ashkenazi equivalent, United
Movement after its dis-
Torah Judaism, already has
ciples launched two car
left the coalition in protest of
bomb attacks this sum-
the transportation of massive
mer.
turbines on Shabbat. But
Even in his political
UTJ was expendable. Its five
home, the Labor Party,
defecting deputies do not
Barak faces simmering
threaten Barak's still strong
hostility as he tries to
Ebutl Barak, left, and PaleStiiiiall kade• Yasser Ai-afit right,
majority — and they have
merge it into a broader
sign;' laitd-fi)P-securitY agreenient early Sept. 5 in the
every incentive to return
One Israel Party, the
Egyptian resOit tOttill of Sharin el.-Sheikh as US. SeCTeta;y of
once the "desecration" fades
banner under which he
State illadeleine Albright, background right, Egyptian
into history. After all deci-
President llosni illubarak, ceizter background, and Jordow's
ran for prime minister.
King Abdul/a/3 11, left background, look on. Barak and
sions still have to be nade
It's a combination of
Arafat are aKcisted by their chief negotiators Gilead Shek',
on the core issue tha
Labor, the dovish
and Saeb Erekat,
brought them in, a r Military
Meimad Orthodox party
draft of yeshiva students.
and the dovish Sephardi
All that said, Ehuf Barak is starting
Press Office along the way.
Gesher party of David Levy. In part,
to look like Israel's rr Est radical prime
And some fault lines are showing.
Barak wants to do this because of
minister since the st-re's founding father,
The National Religious Party and
Labor's historical baggage, especially its
David Ben-Gurion. Like the legendary
Natan Sharansky's Yisrael B'aliya
patronizing record in absorbing the
leader, Barak knows where he wants to
both are positioning themselves to
Sephardi immigrants of the 1950s. But
go and how he intends to get there. And
fight an expected evacuation of the
Labor has a positive resonance to the
he will not be easily deflected.
Golan Heights in any peace agree-
legions that gave it their sweat and loy-
In fact, Barak's aim is nothing less
ment with Syria.
alty for decades. They won't go quietly.
than redrawing the domestic and
For its part, the surging Shas party,
And much of Barak's social agen-
regional map. At home, he seeks to
a group with dovish leaders and hawk-
da is on hold due to an inherited
smash the facile equations —
ish voters, is constantly calculating its
huge budget deficit. So expansion of
Sephardi equals right; Ashkenazi
interest. Issues of war and peace are
promised social programs — to help
equals left; religious equals right; sec-
marginal, not to say troublesome, for
the unemployed, immigrants and
ular equals left — that have distorted
party members when compared with
minorities — must wait. This, it
politics here for more than 20 years.
budgets, jobs and maintaining Israel's
seems, could slow his one-way train
Abroad, as he said in his July 6
Orthodox monopoly. Shas, like
to "reconciliation, unity and peace."
inaugural address: "We know that the
United Torah Judaism, has a habit of
No matter. Ehud Barak presses
victory of Zionism will not be corn-
abstaining when the more fateful deci-
on, certain of where he's heading
plete until the achievement of gen-
sions have to be taken (as it did on the
and of the journey's pureness. And
uine peace, full security, and relations
recent Sharm el-Sheikh agreement
he's even more certain of his ability
of friendship, trust and cooperation
with the Palestinians).
to take the nation where he believes
with all our neighbors."
On the left, supporters of the
it must go.Li
S
Noah
hatever happened to the man
that Ehud Barak replaced as
prime minister? Having resigned
from the Knesset and Likud Party
eadership, Binyamin "Bibi"
.4\letanyahu
set out to make his for-
.,
ne on the Arnerica.n lecture circuit.
At an asking price of $60,000, the
kings are not streaming in. But
e ice broke Sept. 28 in Tampa,
Bibi had a starring role as a
Ode' of "success and honesty" in
one of Peter Lowe's "Success 2000"
extravaganzas.
There, the defeated politician
seerris to have regained his sense of
humor. He had arrived, he told the
11,000 patrons, "courtesy of the
Israeli voters."
Bibi's ballot box defeat didn't dis-
gun* him in Tampa as a success
story, but in Israel his honesty is
under question. He and wife Sara are
being investigated on suspicion of
bribery and fraud. A Jerusalem
removal Mall
has presented
the prime
ministers
bureau with a
$ 100,000 bill
for services
rendered
before and
during
Binyamin
Netanyahu's
Netanyahu
term. It seems
the moving, -storage and repair work
was never officially authorized, as
required by law. Nine days ago, the
Yediot Aharonot newspaper in Israel
reported that investigators had seized
a secret file tucked away in a safe in
the prime minister's office. It con-
tained receipts, notes and instruc-
.
tions to pay for the Netanyahus' pri-
vate jobs and purchases.
Meanwhile, Bibi has been quiet
about politics. But at age 50, he has
not abandoned his ambition, fre-
quently hinting of a comeback.
Indeed, he retains popularity with
Likud voters who remained faithful
at the polling booths in May.
Outside the Netanyahus' recent first
Fraud Squad hearing, a crowd gath-
ered chanting: "He is innocent! He is
innocent!" 1 1
— Neil Rubin
Senior Editor
10/15
1999