haron is elected, even if it's only for a hart period of time," Beilin said. lection Attack arak has challenged_ Sharon to a eries of television debates similar to hose in the U.S. presidential elec- ions, but Sharon so far has dodged he invitation. Likud election strategists explain rivately that they see no reason, given their man's powerful lead in the polls, o put themselves in a situation where Sharon would be pressured to offer specifics. Increasingly desperate, Barak has been urging audiences to look beyond the outward trappings of the slick Likud campaign. to see the unrepen- tant hard-liner beneath. Controversial pro-Barak election ads have included images of dead bodies from Sabra and Shatila and others implying that Sharon's visit to the Temple Mount in late September was responsible for the Palestinian violence and the bloodshed that has followed. Sharon's strategists say the attacks appear to be rolling off their candi- date's back without damaging him. Now 73, Sharon first made his repu- tation in the 1950s as the father of a commando unit that carried out dar- ing and bloody reprisal raids against Arab terrorists operating out of Jordanian territory. He distinguished himself as a brilliant strategist in the Sinai campaigns of the 1967 and 1973 wars, but his penchant for innovation and his unwillingness to follow orders is believed to have cost him a chance_ to become army chief of staff. The Lebanon war appeared to be Sharon's downfall, as a government- appointed committee found him indi- rectly responsible for the Sabra and Shatila massacres, and journalists later exposed the extent to which he misled Prime Minister Menachem Begin about his real aims in Lebanon. Sharon's behavior in government often contradicted his hard-line repu- tation, however. As Begin's defense minister, he was responsible for evacuating Jewish set- tlements in the northern Sinai as part of the 1979 peace treaty with Egypt. As Netanyahu's foreign minister, he refused to shake Arafat's hand, but he helped negotiate the Wye River agree- ment in October 1998. In addition, since taking the Likud helm in May 1999, Sharon has proven himself an adept political strategist, rebuilding the morale, organization and finances of a party that Netanyahu left in disarray. In campaign statements, Sharon speaks of his longing to bring such popular moderates as Dan Meridor and David Levy back to the Likud fold. On Tuesday, the Orthodox Shas party — the third largest bloc in the Knesset — made the widely expected announce- ment that it would back Sharon. Just days earlier, however, Sharon had told Shas chairman Eli Yishai, "Don't hug me too tightly." 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In fact, he came to Israel in order to teach English to Palestinians; but after three years in Israel, he says that the best thing the Palestinians can have is a united Jerusalem under Israeli control. "What kind of government is (Palestinian Authority Chairman Yasser) Arafat going to have here? What about practical things like water and garbage collection? Dividing Jerusalem won't work. It's just impossi- ble," he said. "There won't be a divi- sion here. I hold to the Tanach (Bible) and there it says Jerusalem belongs to the Jewish people." "I think we are living in a very spe- cial time," said Alan Cohen. "Our grandparents could never imagine themselves ever living in Jerusalem, let alone visiting it, and we are here. True, we are also living in a difficult time, but when haven't Jews lived in difficult times?" Still, he said, he is optimistic about the situation. He said Jews have a secret weapon: the God of the Jewish people. 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