Middle East Crisis: Israeli Politics - Barak Seeks to Close Ranks with New Coalition

Silver, Eric, The Independent (London, England)

THE ISRAELI Prime Minister, Ehud Barak, drew a bleak line last night under the peace process with the Palestinians that had begun with a fanfare of hope in Oslo seven years ago. He made clear that he no longer regards Yasser Arafat as a negotiating partner, for the foreseeable future.

Mr Barak began consulting about an emergency government within hours of the lynching of Israeli soldiers by Palestinians and the helicopter strikes on Ramallah and Gaza. The first guest invited to his offices in Tel Aviv was Ariel Sharon, the Likud leader whose visit to the Temple Mount in Jerusalem two weeks earlier lit the tinder of violence.

Although Oslo veterans such as the …

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Publication information: Article title: Middle East Crisis: Israeli Politics - Barak Seeks to Close Ranks with New Coalition. Contributors: Silver, Eric - Author. Newspaper title: The Independent (London, England). Publication date: October 13, 2000. Page number: 4. © 2009 The Independent - London. Provided by ProQuest LLC. All Rights Reserved.

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