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U.S. editorial excerpts -6-+(Japan Economic Newswire Via Thomson Dialog NewsEdge)NEW YORK, March 30_(Kyodo) _ Selected editorial excerpts from the U.S. press: ISRAEL'S MUDDLED ELECTION (The Wall Street Journal, New York) Israelis went to the polls Tuesday for the fifth time in 10 years, and what's remarkable is that they emerged more or less as they had entered: leaderless. Ehud Olmert did get a mandate of sorts for the Kadima (Hebrew for "Forward") party he inherited from the now-comatose Ariel Sharon. Given that Kadima is not yet six months old and brings together an ideologically eclectic group of candidates, that's not a trivial achievement. But with only a 28-seat plurality in Israel's 120-seat parliament -- down from the 35 seats the party was polling a few weeks ago -- Mr. Olmert will have to form a government with some of Israel's 11 other parties. The coalition Mr. Olmert is now predicted to form is principally with the Labor Party, led by the truculent union leader Amir Peretz, perhaps along with Israel's ultra-Orthodox parties. Labor would support Mr. Olmert's plans to dismantle settlements in the West Bank and draw Israel's self-declared final borders with the Palestinians. But as a socialist of the old school, Mr. Peretz will insist on halting or rolling back some of the pro-market reforms instituted by former Finance Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. For a country that only recently emerged from four years of deep recession, the choice between a sensible security policy and a sensible economic one is unfortunate and bitter. Alternatively, Mr. Olmert could tack right and join forces with his old allies in the Likud, now reduced to 11 seats under Mr. Netanyahu's leadership, and the ethnically Russian Yisrael Beitenu party. The markets would welcome Mr. Netanyahu's return to the Finance Ministry, and the Likud slate also includes such talents as former Soviet dissident Natan Sharansky. But Mr. Netanyahu has painted his party into a corner, both by his opposition to Israel's withdrawal last year from the Gaza Strip and his political opportunism. His attempt to blame a dying and helpless Mr. Sharon for Likud's drubbing this week was not a class act. Now Mr. Olmert has a relatively narrow window of opportunity to show Israelis he has both vision and backbone. The vision is of an Israel that withdraws to borders that best suit its strategic and demographic interests. It remains to be seen, however, whether Mr. Olmert can carry out the withdrawals in a way that a majority of Israelis can accept and which does not signal weakness to the Palestinians, the way Ehud Barak's hasty withdrawal from southern Lebanon in 2000 did. Ultimately, this election demonstrated that, in the absence of Mr. Sharon's reassuring presence, Israelis remain uncertain about their future and skeptical of a new generation of untested leaders. That's still a step forward from the sense of despair Mr. Sharon faced when he came to power five years ago. Mr. Olmert has many doubters and a great deal to prove. He can benefit from the example of his predecessor, who showed what real leadership can do. (March 30) |