A wide consensus has developed that the election of Ariel Sharon as prime minister, as appears likely on February 6, would have disastrous results. With him in power we cannot have peace.
Some outside analysts concur.
But there is another, more optimistic way of looking at Sharon's impact as prime minister, one that sees him stopping the escalation of the Arab-Israeli conflict now under way. This viewpoint notes that the danger of large-scale bloodshed has vastly increased since the Oslo process began in 1993. Iraqi President Saddam Hussein has moved divisions close to Israel and threatened six months of continuous bombardment. Troops in Syria have reportedly gone on alert. Israeli forces have been reinforced and other steps taken to prepare for war.