Rivals sharpen knives for Israeli election

JERUSALEM - Israelis have had an early taste of election vitriol, with attacks on Benjamin Netanyahu in his race against time to lift legal barriers to his candidacy for Prime Minister.

Caretaker Prime Minister Ehud Barak shone a spotlight yesterday on the darkest days of Netanyahu's 1996-1999 term as Prime Minister, a period plagued by political scandal.

"Who remembers today ... the Bar-On affair, the tunnel affair ... the Meshal affair ... ?" Barak asked during a televised meeting with Labour Party officials.

He was referring to suspected improprieties in the appointment of lawyer Roni Bar-On as Attorney-General in 1997; Israeli-Palestinian clashes in which 75 people died after Netanyahu opened a tourist tunnel in Arab East Jerusalem in 1996; and a botched attempt to kill Muslim militant Khaled Meshal in Jordan three years ago.

Justice officials decided against indicting Netanyahu in the Attorney-General scandal and in another corruption investigation this year. Netanyahu has said publicly he has learned from his mistakes.

Nonetheless, Justice Minister Yossi Beilin said on Israeli television yesterday that Netanyahu's actions "bordered on the criminal" and he had no moral right to seek to lead Israel again.

That statement was swiftly challenged on the same programme by Likud legislator and former Justice Minister Tsahi Hanegbi, who noted that no charges had been brought against Netanyahu.

Barak and Beilin unsheathed their knives after Netanyahu accused the Prime Minister of "playing a cynical political trick" by resigning on Monday, a move that forces a special election within 60 days in which only members of Parliament, the Knesset, can run.

Netanyahu, who declared himself a candidate for PM hours after Barak quit, gave up his parliamentary seat and leadership of Likud after the Labour Party chief trounced him in Israel's May 1999 general election.

Heading a minority government, Barak resigned in the face of a 10-week-old Palestinian uprising that underlined a failure to reach a peace deal he had promised voters.

At least 312 people - 261 Palestinians, 13 Israeli Arabs and 38 soldiers and other Israelis - have been killed in the violence that broke out in late September.

In order for Netanyahu to run against Barak, the Knesset will either have to dissolve itself, and force a parliamentary ballot along with a prime ministerial vote, or pass a law allowing private citizens to run in the special election.

Likud has scheduled a prime ministerial primary for December 18 in which Netanyahu and present party chief Ariel Sharon will go head-to-head.

In Israeli-Palestinian violence yesterday, a Palestinian and an Israeli woman were wounded when shooting erupted after nightfall along a familiar firing line between the West Bank town of Beit Jala and the Jewish settlement of Gilo.

Two Israeli soldiers were also wounded by Palestinian gunfire near Salfit, in the West Bank.

A five-member commission led by former United States senator and Northern Ireland peace mediator George Mitchell held its first talks with Barak and Palestinian President Yasser Arafat yesterday.

"Both indicated their willingness to cooperate fully with the commission," Mitchell told reporters.

Barak also telephoned US President Bill Clinton to bring him up to date on the surprise election announcement and "the situation on the ground."

- REUTERS

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