Whats next for Israel now that Ariel Sharon has trounced Ehud Barak?
It’s not clear. Sharon invited Barak to join him in a unity government, but Barak resigned as Labor party leader in his concession speech, and it’s not clear whether the party will agree to join Sharon in power. Even without a unity government, Sharon may be able to create a very narrow center-right coalition government. Where that would leave the peace process is unclear. There has already been contact between Sharon and Arafat’s people, and while there’s little information about what transpired in those meetings, they certainly weren’t disastrous. But it’s not clear what Sharon could do on that front, particularly if he’s governing in coalition with right-wing parties who are not just opposed to Barak’s handling of the peace process, but to the peace process itself. What was the mood on election day? Not very enthusiastic. There were very few people out campaigning, which was a reflection of the fact that a lot of people are angry that they have to vote at all. Many Israelis didn’t w
