Ehud Barak Wins Landslide Victory Over Netanyahu
Labor leader and former military chief promises to revive peace process after defeating incumbent by largest margin in Israeli history.
Ehud Barak swept to a decisive victory over Benjamin Netanyahu in Israel’s prime ministerial election, winning 56% to 44% in the largest margin ever recorded in an Israeli national election. The former military chief of staff promised to “end the era of violence and enter an era of peace.”
Barak’s One Israel coalition capitalized on widespread dissatisfaction with Netanyahu’s divisive leadership and stalled peace process. The decorated general, who served as Israel’s most decorated soldier, campaigned on resuming negotiations with Palestinians and withdrawing from Lebanon within a year.
“The dawn of a new day has broken,” Barak declared to cheering supporters in Tel Aviv. “We are facing a rare window of opportunity to bring comprehensive peace to Israel and I intend to seize it.”
Netanyahu conceded defeat gracefully, taking responsibility for the loss and announcing his temporary retirement from politics. His term had been marked by friction with Palestinians, the United States, and even within his own coalition.
Palestinian leaders expressed cautious optimism. Yasser Arafat congratulated Barak and called for immediately resuming final status negotiations on Jerusalem, refugees, and settlements. “We extend our hand in peace to the new government,” Arafat stated.
Barak faces enormous challenges, including forming a stable coalition, reviving moribund peace talks, and fulfilling his promise to withdraw from Lebanon. However, his decisive mandate and military credentials give him political capital Netanyahu lacked to make the difficult compromises peace requires.