Watershed poll to redraw Mideast contours

JERUSALEM – Israelis vote tomorrow in a pivotal poll likely to usher in an unprecedented drive to fix the Jewish state’s final borders in a political landscape that has changed beyond recognition.

Ehud Olmert, the loyal deputy who was catapulted into the premiership with the demise of his mentor Ariel Sharon, looks set to secure his own mandate to separate Israel from the Palestinians once and for all. Just over five million Israelis will have the right to cast their ballots on March 28 for a total of 31 candidates.They are vying for seats in the 17th Knesset to be convened since the formation of the Jewish state 58 years ago.But although there is widespread agreement that the stakes have never been higher, the surprisingly serene passage of the centrist Kadima party which Sharon formed only four months ago has left much of the electorate unmoved with turnout tipped to be the lowest on record.Sharon sparked what became known as the “Big Bang” in Israeli politics when he marched out of the right-wing Likud party and set up Kadima, fed up with battling hardliners who refused to forgive him for pulling troops and settlers out of the Gaza Strip over the summer.His arch enemy Benjamin Netanyahu then took up the helm of Likud while his erstwhile rival from the centre-left Labour party, Shimon Peres, joined Sharon’s new venture having been ousted from his life-long political home.Now Israel looks set to embark on a new round of pullouts from the larger West Bank, with Sharon still looming large even though he has in a deep coma since January 4 after suffering a massive brain haemorrhage.Olmert, seen by many as the instigator of the exit from Gaza, has been careful to associate himself with the legacy of Sharon but now has a chance to leave a bigger imprint on history.Israel’s proportional representation system means that no party can expect to form a government on its own but Olmert appears certain to trounce his rivals and secure up to 40 seats.Olmert has been setting the price for joining his coalition, telling potential partners that they must be prepared to take part in the uprooting of Jews from land seen by many as their Biblical birthright.- Nampa-AFPJust over five million Israelis will have the right to cast their ballots on March 28 for a total of 31 candidates.They are vying for seats in the 17th Knesset to be convened since the formation of the Jewish state 58 years ago.But although there is widespread agreement that the stakes have never been higher, the surprisingly serene passage of the centrist Kadima party which Sharon formed only four months ago has left much of the electorate unmoved with turnout tipped to be the lowest on record.Sharon sparked what became known as the “Big Bang” in Israeli politics when he marched out of the right-wing Likud party and set up Kadima, fed up with battling hardliners who refused to forgive him for pulling troops and settlers out of the Gaza Strip over the summer.His arch enemy Benjamin Netanyahu then took up the helm of Likud while his erstwhile rival from the centre-left Labour party, Shimon Peres, joined Sharon’s new venture having been ousted from his life-long political home.Now Israel looks set to embark on a new round of pullouts from the larger West Bank, with Sharon still looming large even though he has in a deep coma since January 4 after suffering a massive brain haemorrhage.Olmert, seen by many as the instigator of the exit from Gaza, has been careful to associate himself with the legacy of Sharon but now has a chance to leave a bigger imprint on history.Israel’s proportional representation system means that no party can expect to form a government on its own but Olmert appears certain to trounce his rivals and secure up to 40 seats.Olmert has been setting the price for joining his coalition, telling potential partners that they must be prepared to take part in the uprooting of Jews from land seen by many as their Biblical birthright. – Nampa-AFP

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