The Prime Minister Elect is forming his new government. All eyes are upon him - in Israel, throughout the Jewish world and even throughout the greater world politic, America included.
High hopes abound.
There is little doubt that those who see the world through election jingles and catchy slogans, people on both sides of the political spectrum, will be frustrated with Barak and his Knesset coalition. You see, Ehud Barak, Prime Minister Elect of Israel, is dedicated to reaching for the middle in order to build a consensus government. His coalition policy is radically different from the policies of any previous governments in Israel - right or left. In the past the political victor would inevitably, perhaps justifiably, alienate the masses by emphasizing that even a majority of one was the ruling party's democratic privilege, even obligation. This system of rule threw insult into the face of the Israeli voting public and caused tension from day one.