Israeli vote could determine shape of regional politics

CHAT TRANSCRIPT Jerrold Kessel: Israeli Elections

In this story: 'Significant progress' toward peace? Core issues remain RELATED STORIES, SITES

JERUSALEM (CNN) -- Ehud Barak cast Tuesday's vote for Israeli prime minister as a choice between peace and war, but on the streets of the West Bank town of Nablus on Friday, Palestinians called the incumbent Barak and his right-wing opponent "two killers."

Hard-line Likud party chairman Ariel Sharon leads Barak in opinion polls by as much as 21 percentage points, just four days before the special election to decide who will lead Israel through the next phase of its stormy existence.

Palestinian demonstrators in Nablus carried signs denouncing both Israeli candidates and burned Israeli and U.S. flags -- part of a new campaign to boycott Israeli products.

In Ramallah, also in the West Bank, stone-throwing Palestinians clashed with Israeli Army soldiers.

VIDEO CNN's Mike Hanna tells what's at stake in the upcoming Israeli elections (February 1) Play video (QuickTime, Real or Windows Media) Arabs are concerned what the upcoming Israeli election will mean for them. CNN's Ben Wedeman reports Play video (QuickTime, Real or Windows Media) There are some 4 million Palestinians claiming a right to return to Israel. CNN's Christiane Amanpour goes in-depth on the issue (February 1) Play video (QuickTime, Real or Windows Media)    MESSAGE BOARD Mideast Peace    RESOURCES In-Depth: Israel Election 2001    TIMELINES Recent acts of violence in the Middle East:  •  Bombings  •  Activist deaths    RESOURCES Key issues: U.S., Israeli and Palestinian views     ALSO

Barak has tried to make this vote a referendum on his attempts to make peace with the Palestinians, adversarial neighbors to the Israelis since Israel's 1948 independence.

"It's only in the last four days that there will be real election campaigning and Israel, the public, will have to wake up and realize that it's not about the two beauties, myself and Sharon, but about the fate of the people of Israel," Barak said.

But many believe Barak trails in the polls not because people prefer Sharon's methods -- largely unknown in the days leading up to the election -- but because of a shrinking appreciation of Barak himself.

"People will not vote for Sharon," said Tom Segev, a columnist for the Israeli newspaper Ha'aretz. "They will vote against Barak because he has failed to deliver."

'Significant progress' toward peace?

Peace talks with the Palestinians stalled last summer and were followed by four months of bitter violence -- still ongoing -- that has left at least 413 people dead.

The Palestine Red Crescent Society says that 349 of the dead were Palestinians, and the Israel Defense Force reports 51 Israeli Jews and 13 Israeli Arabs have been killed since September 28.

Two Israelis and a Palestinian were killed on Thursday, the latest casualties of the fighting, which began as rock-throwing Palestinian demonstrations and escalated into pitched shooting battles punctuated by Israeli mortar fire and Palestinian bombs.

Despite the violence, the Israelis and Palestinians have continued talks seeking a solution. The latest talks ended Sunday with both sides saying a solution was near enough that it could possible be concluded -- if Barak is re-elected to see it through.

But Sharon and his supporters have lambasted Barak for continuing to negotiate with the Palestinians while the violence is ongoing, playing on the fears of a growing number of Israelis that peace with the Palestinians is not possible.

Core issues remain

Sharon, a controversial former army general reviled by the Palestinians for his role in Israel's costly 1982 foray into Lebanon, has instead focused his campaign on establishing security for the state and the people of Israel.

"I understand the importance of peace much better than a lot of politicians who talk about it," he said. "With me, peace will be peace for generations and not a gimmick of the elections."

Four unresolved core issues -- the fate of Jerusalem, borders of the future Palestinian state, the fate of Palestinian refugees and their descendants and security measures -- blocked the peace talks at Camp David in the United States last July.

But with the election winding down, Israelis and Palestinians returned to the negotiating table and reported "significant progress" before suspending the talks on Sunday until the voting is complete.

Whether the talks will continue at all depends on the winner of the election -- and his relationship with the badly fractured Knesset, which was on the verge of disbanding in favor of a new general election when Barak's December 10 resignation forced the special vote.

CNN Correspondents Fionnuala Sweeney, Jerrold Kessel and Rula Amin and Reuters contributed to this report.

Barak: 'Fate of Israel' at stake in election
February 1, 2001
Barak refuses to stand aside
January 31, 2001
Hope for new Mideast summit
January 30, 2001
Arafat may allow Jewish settlements
January 29, 2001
Sharon calls peace talks a campaign ploy by Barak
January 28, 2001
Mideast negotiators want to continue talks after Israeli elections
January 27, 2001
Mideast talks sidestep impasse; more planned
January 26, 2001
Killings overshadow Mideast talks
January 25, 2001
Israeli minister returns to talks venue
January 24, 2001
Decision on Mideast peace talks due Wednesday
January 23, 2001

Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs
World Economic Forum
Palestinian National Authority
PLO Negotiations Affairs Department
Israeli Prime Minister's Office
Israel Defense Force
Palestinian Red Crescent

Note: Pages will open in a new browser window

External sites are not endorsed by CNN Interactive.