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With early elections, Barak gambles on Mideast peace

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November 30, 2000 

JERUSALEM-- (AP) - In the midst of a bloody conflict with the Palestinians, Israel has been plunged into political turmoil by an overwhelming parliament vote to hold new elections, two years ahead of schedule.

Prime Minister Ehud Barak took a gamble Tuesday - on his political future and on Mideast peacemaking - when he unexpectedly agreed to go along with the hard-line opposition's push for an early vote.

Representatives of Barak's One Israel alignment and the opposition Likud party met briefly Wednesday to try to agree on a date for elections. Opposition leader Ariel Sharon said elections should be held as quickly as possible, "even before Passover," the Jewish holiday that begins April 7. Barak's One Israel did not propose a date, but planned to do so Monday, said party spokesman Gilad Haymann.

In a new twist, Sharon said he was still open to holding new coalition talks if Barak issued an invitation. The early elections bill still faces two more readings, giving Barak several more weeks of political maneuvering.

However, it appeared unlikely that the prime minister would reverse himself after having rejected the idea of a broad coalition just a day earlier. Sharon has said he would only join the government if given veto powers over Barak's peace efforts, something the prime minister has said he is unwilling to do.

Nabil Shaath, a Palestinian negotiator, said he was still hopeful a peace accord can be reached before the Israeli elections and despite two months of violence that have killed more than 280 people, most of them Palestinians.

"Barak still has six months until the coming elections, and if he wants, he can stop his aggression and adopt a new policy that will enable him to go to his people with progress in the peace process," Shaath said.

Reaching a peace agreement with the Palestinians in the next few months was widely seen as Barak's only chance to get re-elected.

Israeli Foreign Minister Shlomo Ben-Ami suggested that elections could serve as a referendum on a peace deal. "If we reach an agreement - we are facing general elections - the people will judge it," he said on Israel army radio. "They can decide that they don't want it."

Recent polls have indicated that without an agreement in hand, he would be narrowly defeated by Sharon and trounced by former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Sharon said the Likud would hold primaries do elect its candidate for prime minister, and that he would seek the job. Netanyahu has not formally announced his political plans, though he has been increasingly active in recent weeks, giving speeches and TV interviews. Radio reports said Netanyahu would not announce a bid for prime minister until the early elections bill has been passed in the third reading.

Barak's popularity plummeted in recent months. Barak, Israel's most decorated soldier, is being perceived by a growing number of Israelis as ineffective because he has been unable to stop the violence and has failed to make progress toward a peace deal.

Barak's minority government has been in peril since parliament returned from a lengthy recess more than three weeks ago.

The push for early elections began in earnest Tuesday when the hard-line opposition presented five election bills for a vote. As the day progressed, it appeared increasingly likely the legislation would pass in the first of three readings.

Midway through what was shaping up as a lengthy debate, Barak unexpectedly announced that he was dropping his resistance to early elections. "I do not flinch from elections," Barak told parliament.

After the first parliament vote, the prime minister met with embittered Cabinet ministers and legislators from his party, most of whom reportedly had not been briefed on his decision.

Israel radio said a leading One Israel figure, parliament Speaker Avraham Burg, may challenge Barak for party leadership. Only 18 months ago, Barak was celebrated by his party after defeating Netanyahu in a landslide.

U.S. officials said the developments were not unexpected.

"This has been conjectured in Israel for some time, so I don't know we were surprised by it," said P.J. Crowley, spokesman for President Clinton's National Security Council.

Palestinian officials said privately that a peace deal would probably have to be concluded while Clinton is still in office, since a new administration would need months to get up to speed on the complicated talks.

Barak reiterated Tuesday that peace agreements with Israel's neighbors remain his top priority. However, in a warning to the Palestinians, he said he will "not make peace at any price."

There have been growing signals in recent days that Israel and the Palestinians are making a new effort to end the violence. Several days ago, both sides agreed to renew security coordination, and Israel has eased some of its travel and trade restrictions on the Palestinians.

Elsewhere Tuesday, Israel's security problems with Lebanon continued: The Hezbollah guerrilla group's commander for south Lebanon said the group does not recognize the Lebanese-Israeli border demarcated by the United Nations and will continue to attack Israel.

"There are parts of our land still occupied and there are brother prisoners still in Israeli jails," Nabil Kaouk told a meeting of hundreds of Hezbollah supporters in the southern port of Sidon.