u,
World
eman
SPECIAL REPORT
he works in Southfield. He's a veterinarian in
Dearborn. So when Dr. Claude and Linda Curry
found a lovely 2 story, 4 bedroom colonial on a
1-acre lot halfway between the two cities, they
bought it and moved in.
S
Election from page 29
It wasn't long before they called Gittleman.
"Twelve years ago we added a great room, a
bedroom and a master bath," recalled Linda. Then,
Iwo children were still at home. Now. the family dog
Murphy, three cats and frequently visiting
grandchildren enjoy the original improvements as
well as those just done—a whole new kitchen and
powder room—by Gittleman, of course.
"The first job was such a great experience,"
said Linda, it went like clockwork."
When it came time to renovate again, the Curry's
hoped history would repeat itself and it did.
"Scott came up with a great design," said Linda, now delighted to be cooking in her new, gorgeous
granite kitchen with maple cabinets, a center island and a new powder room nearby.
"We are very pleased," she said.
So, next time you find the perfect compromise location and a neighborhood you love, count on
Gittleman, again and again, to help your home evolve to what it needs to be.
JUST ASK THE CURRY'S.
Gc GITTLEMAN
CONSTRUCTION Inc
28580 ORCHARD LAKE RD., SUITE 102
FARMINGTON HILLS, MI 48334
248.538.5400
www.gittleman.net
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30
January 12 • 2006
7 (:, 644 8 C ,
Acting Prime Minister Ehud Olmert sits next to Ariel Sharon's empty chair
during an emergency Cabinet meeting on Jan. 5.
state's permanent borders.
A legendary and controversial gen-
eral, as prime minister since early
2001 Sharon was instrumental in
defeating the Palestinian intifada.
Despite a reputation as a hard-liner, he
appeared to have undergone a pro-
found ideological transformation in
recent years and pulled Israeli settle-
ments out of the Gaza Strip last sum-
mer, giving the Palestinians a testing
ground for autonomy and creating a
new window of opportunity for the
peace process.
Many believed Sharon would initi-
ate a similar withdrawal from most of
the West Bank if elected to a third
term.
With Sharon no longer the domi-
nant force setting the election agenda,
all the leading parties are likely to
build competing leadership teams.
Olmert's team probably will include
Livni and Peres. On Jan. 6, he began
political talks with Peres in an appar-
ent effort to agree on the former Labor
prime minister's place in the new
Kadima set-up.
In Labor, Peretz may try to bring in
former Prime Minister Ehud Barak as
his No. 2 to boost his security and for-
eign policy credentials. He also is des-
perately trying to persuade Peres to
return to Labor.
For his part, Olmert may well try to
lure Barak, a close personal friend, to
Kadima. HOW this post-Sharon fallout
settles could decide the election.
Trailing in the polls, Netanyahu can-
not be ruled out altogether. Another
former prime minister, he could pick
up support at the expense of rivals
who lack Sharon's political heft.
Netanyahu's leadership ticket will
include Foreign Minister Silvan
Shalom, and he will try to persuade
ex-Likudniks who joined Kadima,
including Mofaz and Cabinet minister
Tzachi Hanegbi, to return to the fold.
Netanyahu also will allow Likud
Cabinet ministers, who were to resign
Jan. 8, to remain in government. The
resignation was meant to signal a
break with Sharon and his policies;
the decision to stay is intended to
highlight the stature of Likud's leader-
ship team.
Despite the %Nrall-to-wall support
Olmert seems to enjoy, he still could
encounter problems within Kadima.
Drawing up the party's Knesset list
could prove a minefield.
Sharon had the authority to do this
more or less as he pleased, but
Olmert will have to tread carefully,
and will risk flak from people who
feel they have been placed too low on
the list.
If the results of the current polls
hold up and Kadima wins the elec-
tion, will Olmert or some other
Kadima leader be able to further
Sharon's groundbreaking withdrawal
from territory the Palestinians
demand? Under Sharon, the idea
would have been to reach agreement
on this with the Palestinians and —
sabsent an agreement — to get inter-
national sanction for new borders
Israel would set on its own.
Whether an alternative Israeli
leadership will be able to proceed in
this vein is perhaps the most impor-
tant political question in a post-
Sharon era. Along with Sharon's
medical condition, it's this question,
more than any other, that is troubling
Israel, the region and the interna-
tional community.