Barak's Dilemma: How Big Is My Rainbow?

Ehud Barak doesn't need a broad-based coalition to govern Israel, but he wants one in order to make any peace agreements stick. And that's set him balancing delicately on the horns of a dilemma. His natural coalition partners are the smaller leftist parties, the center party and the parties of the Russian immigrants. Then there's the Likud, with which some of Barak's aides are even recommending an alliance now that it has been reduced to 19 seats and its controversial leader, defeated prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, has quit. But the biggest question mark is over Shas, the ultra-orthodox party of Sephardic Jews, which achieved the largest net parliamentary gain in Monday's election, thus making a strong case for inclusion. "Leaving out Shas would be sending a negative message to the Sephardim, a major social group in Israel who already feel excluded and aggrieved," says TIME Jerusalem bureau chief Lisa Beyer. "The problem is that Barak is a secularist and so are his natural allies; the parties of the left have already warned they won't join a cabinet with Shas."

Shas gained seven seats (for a total of 17) in Monday's election, mostly at the expense of Likud. Although the party's voters are right-wing hard-liners on the peace process, Shas may still be a useful ally in Barak's peace plans. "The party's leadership is a lot more pragmatic and amenable to peace agreements than its supporters," says Beyer. "And remember, these are voters who do what the rabbi tells them to do. Shas may actually be an easier peace partner than Likud -- but on the other hand, rabbis can always change their minds." Barak has 45 days to come up with a government, and he has a lot more options than Netanyahu ever did. But he can't escape the deepening identity crisis gripping the Jewish state as religion and secularism vie for control.