Courage Under Fire

In a defining moment, Ehud Barak makes good on his promise to withdraw Israeli troops from southern Lebanon

Ehud Barak, the Israeli Prime Minister, doesn't care much about how things look. The tanks he supervised as an army officer were among the military's dustiest. The suits he wears as a civilian are unmodish and occasionally ill fitting. Points of ceremony do not rate with him. He refused to take umbrage when the Syrians sent merely their Foreign Minister to a peace summit with him last December--or to be insulted when his negotiating partner would not shake his hand.

Given his disregard for appearances, the Israeli leader was not especially bothered by the undecorous images produced last week by Israel's...

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