Hi there,

In coming days Democracy Now! will continue to bring you post-election results and in-depth analysis on on the impact of the coming Trump administration. Because Democracy Now! does not accept corporate advertising or sponsorship revenue, we rely on viewers like you to feature voices and analysis you won’t get anywhere else. Can you donate $15 to Democracy Now! today to support our post-election coverage? Right now, a generous donor will DOUBLE your gift, which means your $15 donation is worth $30. Please help us air in-depth, substantive coverage of the outcome of the election and what it means for our collective future. Thank you so much! Every dollar makes a difference.

-Amy Goodman

Non-commercial news needs your support.

We rely on contributions from you, our viewers and listeners to do our work. If you visit us daily or weekly or even just once a month, now is a great time to make your monthly contribution.

Please do your part today.

Donate

Landslide Victory for Barak in Israeli National Elections

HeadlineMay 18, 1999

Ehud Barak, a much-decorated former general who has pledged to revive the Middle East peace process, swept to a landslide victory in Israeli national elections yesterday over Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his right-wing Likud party. A protégé of the late Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin, Barak has presented himself as heir to the assassinated leader’s legacy, vowing to pursue a final peace settlement with the Palestinians, reach agreements with Israel’s Arab neighbors, and slow the growth of Jewish settlements in the West Bank. Arab pleasure at the defeat of Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu was strongly tempered today by warnings the policies of his successor remain largely unknown. Syria, a key to regional peace, called on Barak to break with previous policies. He must then “play his peace cards swiftly, if he has any,” and make his intentions clear. This according to the official Syria Times, a quote. The most optimistic views, from Egyptians, whose country has a peace treaty with Israel, were countered by concerns the former army commander, Barak, would take an uncompromising position in peace talks. Qatar’s daily newspaper said, “Netanyahu’s defeat should not make us over-optimistic, as Barak has not presented in his speeches and statements anything different to Netanyahu.” It went on to say, “Barak’s win will not mean anything for the Arabs and their causes if it is not translated into truthful intentions and a real move to end tensions in the region.”

The original content of this program is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License. Please attribute legal copies of this work to democracynow.org. Some of the work(s) that this program incorporates, however, may be separately licensed. For further information or additional permissions, contact us.

Non-commercial news needs your support

We rely on contributions from our viewers and listeners to do our work.
Please do your part today.
Make a donation
Top