CNN - Pivotal Elections: Israel

In this election, the first in which Israelis may vote directly for prime minister, there are two candidates for the office. They are Prime Minister Shimon Peres and Likud Party leader Benjamin Netanyahu.

Shimon Peres

Peres was named to head the Israeli government after the assassination of former Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin in November 1995. At the time of the assassination, Peres was serving as Rabin's foreign minister.

Before Rabin's death, Peres sought unsuccessfully to become prime minister three times. Having failed to win the confidence of the Knesset in those attempts, he may fare better in the popular vote.

After Rabin's death, Peres vowed to carry on his predecessor's peace initiative with Israel's Arab neighbors. However in recent months, suicide bombings by Islamic extremists have cut into his support, and Peres has tempered his peace initiative and paid greater attention to security.

Polls released in mid-May showed Peres leading Likud Party leader Benjamin Netanyahu by a narrow margin of 4 percent to 6 percent.

Born in Poland in 1923 and partially educated in the United States, Peres has served in the Israeli government in various positions since the Jewish state gained independence in 1948. In 1994, he and Rabin shared the Nobel Peace Prize with former Palestinian Liberation Organization leader Yasser Arafat, who is now president of the Palestinian Authority.

"Our primary aim in the next four years is to achieve a comprehensive peace in the Middle East (and) total elimination of the conflict between us and the Palestinian people."

-- Peres, April 24

Benjamin Netanyahu

Netanyahu, the leader of the right-wing Likud Party, has made a name for himself as the chief critic of Prime Minister Shimon Peres. Running a campaign focused almost solely on security, he has attacked Peres' peace efforts as too conciliatory to Israel's Arab foes.

At 46, Netanyahu is considered a youthful candidate for an office generally held by men closer in age to Peres. Educated in the United States, Netanyahu has served in the Israeli Embassy in Washington and as an ambassador to the United Nations. In 1988, he was elected to the Knesset and appointed Israel's deputy foreign minister.

Recent suicide bombings have given Netanyahu a boost in the polls. If elected, Netanyahu, who once served in an elite anti-terrorism unit, promises to take stronger measures to eradicate terrorism by Arab extremists.

Netanyahu opposed Israel's accord with Palestinian Authority President Yasser Arafat granting Palestinians partial autonomy. He has vowed that there will never be an independent Palestinian state but says he will not reverse agreements already reached with Arafat. Netanyahu also says Jerusalem will never again be a divided city.

"Today there is no peace .... Peace is when you get off the bus (and) get home peacefully."

-- Netanyahu, March 19

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Selected responses are posted daily.

Shimon Peres

"Our primary aim in the next four years is to achieve a comprehensive peace in the Middle East (and) total elimination of the conflict between us and the Palestinian people."

Benjamin Netanyahu

"Today there is no peace .... Peace is when you get off the bus (and) get home peacefully."

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