Netanyahu Declared Victor

JERUSALEM: Likud's Benjamin Netanyahu will be declared Israel's next Prime Minister with 50.4 percent of the vote, defeating Prime Minister Shimon Peres, according to final unofficial results released Friday by the Central Election Commission. The results were delayed by the extraordinarily close results and 144,000 absentee ballots had to be counted to break what was a virtual tie between Netanyahu and Peres. After Friday's results, Netanyahu will have 45 days to put together a coalition government. "He will form a coalition with right wing and centrist parties," says TIME's Lisa Beyer. "He can easily count on 66 of the 120 Knesset seat with an additional 3 seats that will support him outside of his government. This will give him a very strong hand and the ability to seriously hinder the peace process." Netanyahu owes his victory to the feeling among many Israelis that the peace with Palestinians has jeopardized their security. Playing on those fears, Netanyahu promised to pursue peace with an emphasis on Israeli security. His hard line policies, while allaying some Israeli worries, cause concern among Palestinians, other Arab nations and especially Washington, where President Clinton was counting on a Peres victory to continue the process towards Middle East peace. Netanyahu has pledged to take a much tougher line against Yasser Arafat, to expand Jewish settlements in the West bank ant to renege on the promise to withdraw Israeli troops from Hebron. Adding to the fear that peace with Palestinians is in serious jeopardy, Ariel Sharon, a senior Likud official said on Israeli radio: "Our government cannot accept the Oslo accord exactly as it is." Many now hope that the American-educated Netanyahu will prove more pragmatic than his fiery campaign rhetoric. -->