He held his personal interests above those of the nation and made an irresponsible decision. On the contrary, Shas worked hard to give Mr. Netanyahu the opening to run, but then he turned around and said it wasn't good enough for him. Mr. Netanyahu wanted not only a victory but also a smooth, enjoyable victory. What's ironic is that in retrospect, Mr. Netanyahu was completely irrelevant. True, he was leading in the polls over Mr. Barak.
Israeli voters are as fickle as they come.
Opinions in this part of the world can swing from one end of the political spectrum to the other in days, and sometimes, in hours and even minutes. Then Mr. Barak's spin-doctors went to work and won him a landslide victory. As inconceivable as this may sound, the same thing could still happen this time around. President-elect Bush, Mr. Clinton, Prime Minister Putin, President Mubarak and King Hassan converge in Jerusalem and attend the historic peace ceremony held in the U.S. Embassy fairgrounds. The U.S. government vows to move its embassy to whatever is left of Jerusalem.