As an ardent supporter of Shimon Peres and his policies, his foresight and his daring, I was deeply saddened by his defeat. I know of many people who felt just as I did, bewildered with a sense of loss and uncertainty. However, as time goes by, and from statements being put out by Mr. Netanyahu's press, I believe that on foreign issues he will somewhat soften. I am more concerned with the makeup of the coalition government as many new religious parties have gained strength in these elections. Will secular life be jeopardized for the non-observant Jews? Will stringent laws be passed to affect daily lifestyles? Since Mr. Netanyahu is going to be my prime minister as well as for the traditional Likud supporters, I hope he remembers that the vote was split nearly down the middle, and does not advocate extreme laws resulting from pressure exerted by ultra-orthodox religious parties, which indeed supported him in this election.
Marilyn Kano
E-mail: marilyn@inter.net.il
The selection of Netanyahu by the Israeli populous has ominous portents for the peace process. I am Jewish and a supporter of Israel, but I do not support the extremist views of the Israeli right wing. I believe that Israel must barter land for peace and I am convinced that only the establishment of a Palestinian state will guarantee a lasting and permanent peace. Israel draws much of its financial and political support from the U. S. Jewish population. I, for one, will withhold any further financial support until I am sure that the new government is committed to continuing the peace process. The only encouragement I can glean from the current situation is that Menachem Begin was as right wing as Netanyahu, and he was the first Israeli prime minister to achieve a peace treaty with an Arab country. Maybe God will enlighten Netanyahu, and he will move in a positive direction.
R. Berkley
E-mail: weave@tribeca.ios.com
It is very upsetting that many Americans see the elections in Israel as a referendum on the peace process. Nothing could be further from the truth. Every poll taken in Israel has continually shown that Israelis overwhelmingly support the peace process to continue. The elections were to give Israel a person they believed they could trust to lead them in their search for a secure and lasting peace. Although the divisions between the right and the left in Israel may be great, the divide is not all that wide. The peace process will go on!
Jonathan Zucker
E-mail: Blaster88@GNN.com
This is a sad day for peace seekers. Netanyahu's overt rejection of the basic premise of "land for peace," is naive, greedy and spells doom for the fragile peace process. His expansionist views, such as with building more settlements, should be condemned by the international community and Israelis' chief ally the U.S., particularly if the U.S. is indirectly financing such endeavors with aid. Perhaps only then can Netanyahu and those in Israel who believe they can "have their cake and eat it too" reassess their unrealistic uncompromising stand, hopefully before the entire peace initiative has unraveled.
Sherif B Labib
E-mail: Sherif.b.labib@hitchcock.org
I am outraged at how some of the comments here claim that Israel "is not a peace-loving nation" because they chose Netanyahu. How can you blame people for choosing security over constant terrorist attacks? "The Peace Process" as it was conducted by Peres has not brought peace, but made Israel defenseless against numerous terrorist attacks. You can not blame people for not wanting to wake up in the morning and watch TV to see who else got killed, or for not wanting to be afraid to ride a bus to work in the morning. Peres was and would be giving away land for meaningless promises from dictators of the world's terrorist nations. The Labor administration has destroyed the once superb Israeli military and intelligence. In order for peace to be truly achieved, a strong Israel is necessary. I, and I'm sure many others, believe that it is better far Israeli soldiers to die in battle fighting for their country then for those same soldiers to be killed on bus stops on their way home for Sabbath. By voting for Netanyahu, Israel did not give up peace. They simply chose peace with security.
Dan Shaykevich
E-mail: masterds@star.net
The election of the new Israeli PM marks a turning point for the region. Unfortunately, it is a step back, not forward. His positions regarding the Palestinians is a return to old rhetoric concerning greater Israel and the "right" of Jews to settle anywhere on the West Bank. Mr. Netanyahu cannot achieve any degree of peace if he refuses to accept Palestinian rights, including their right to live peacefully on their soil and in their homeland. For the Palestinians, Oslo was a compromise, not a victory of Palestinian demands. Mr. Netanyahu should not reverse the peace process. He should continue and build on it. The consequences of a defacto reversal of the Middle East peace process are unthinkable for both Jews and Arabs. I hope that the peace camp in Israel will continue to remind the new PM of that.
Badran A. Badran
E-mail: bbnet@emirates.net.ae
The race for prime minister should not have been this close. The only thing that gave Peres his 49 percent was the 2 million of Arabs who live in Israel. Also Netanyahu is definitely the more worthy out of the two candidates. He is an MIT graduate, as well as a recognized military leader. The only thing that he can be blamed for as being "anti-peace," is that he refuses to hand the fate of Israel over to its enemies as Peres has attempted to do. He will also work for peace, but unlike Peres will keep Israel's interests and security in mind.
Dan Shaykevich
E-mail: masterds@star.net
I can see that Israel has taken a major step backwards in the pursuit of peace. I hope that America decreases its support of Israel as a result of this election. When Israel truly wishes for peace, they will have it. Half measures and mob sentiments will never move Israel in the proper direction.
Don Gulling
E-mail: dgulling@atlascomputer.com
Netanyahu's victory shows that enough secular Israeli's have taken an introspective look and decided that the reality facing them was too harsh to outweigh their fantasies of peace. It is unfortunate, but true. There is no such thing as peace in the Middle East.
Jonathan Levy
E-mail: Yu157189@mailsrv.yorku.ca
Today is a sad day for the lovers of peace. The Israeli people have made a conscious decision to turn away from a peaceful resolution to the conflict. All groups and individuals supporting a military solution to the Middle East problem are celebrating. The outcome of this election will be more bloodshed on both side and the delaying, if not the elimination, of any comprehensive solution to the problem.
Mahdi Al-Haery
E-mail: mal-haery@mcimail.com
I wish Leah Rabin would pack her bags and leave. This election was clearly democratic, clearly the country is split down the middle. If Leah feels that only her way is the right way why doesn't she go to a totalitarian country. In a democracy there are winners and losers. Leah has been very vocal since the death of her husband, but the people of Israel also have the right to voice their feelings in an election.
Leah Kabaker
E-mail: fiberjunky@aol.com
Bibi's victory may cause a lot of trouble to Israel, but based on his personality, and being the slick guy he is, I believe that he will do anything to have his name written on the historical achievement of being the peacemaker of the Middle East. Since the new method of direct elections for prime minister give him endless power regarding coalition, when the pressure from the U.S. and the rest of the world becomes to much for him, he will get rid of the peace opponents in his coalition and join with the labor party to sign the permanent arrangement with the Palestinians. Maybe this is wishful thinking, but the only alternative is war and economical regression for the country of Israel.
Noa Kadman
E-mail: kadman@ibm.net