Analysis: Barak's political battlefield

Barak (centre) in the Knesset with cabinet colleagues

By Gerald Butt

A year ago it all looked so hopeful for Ehud Barak.

The former military hero turned successful politician looked like just the right man to lead Israel into historic peace deals with the Palestinians and the Syrians.

In the search for peace the Barak government has made much less progress than had been expected

On the battlefield his courage and mental adroitness were legendary.

But in the political arena he has shown himself to indecisive and tactically inept.

The result is that he has left himself with few political friends.

Disappointment

Celebrating Barak's landslide victory in 1999

Mr Barak's left-wing allies feel disappointed that he has hesitated too often and made too many concessions to the right.

The parties on the right and Jewish settlers accuse him of giving too much to the Palestinians and offering too much to the Syrians.

Israel's powerful ultra-orthodox community, meanwhile, has seen a good opportunity to press for domestic demands.

Mr Barak, hoping for the accolade of statesman of peace has found himself caught up in the grubby world of Israeli domestic politics.

Ultra-Orthodox allies have put Barak under pressure

Among the Israeli people - or at least that half of the population who backed the formation of the Barak government - there is also a sense of disappointment.

While they were sickened by the flamboyant showmanship of the previous prime minister, Binyamin Netanyahu, they have found Mr Barak to be reclusive and uncommunicative.

Indecision

Above all, he has lacked the decisiveness that they thought he would have in taking difficult political decisions.

In the search for peace, in particular, the Barak government has made much less progress than had been expected.

PM under strain to hold his cabinet together

Rather than pressing ahead and making territorial concessions to the Palestinians when he enjoyed widespread support, he dithered. That allowed his opponents time to regroup and put pressure on him.

And on the Syrian front he simply miscalculated President Hafez al-Assad's stubborn determination that no peace deal could precede the return of every inch of the Golan Heights.

Once again, by the time he realised this fact, growing sections of the Israeli public were having doubts about the wisdom of giving back even part of the Golan.

Political battles

Mr Barak's problem seems to stem from his difficulty in adjusting to the process of decision-making in the world of politics, compared with that in the military.

As an army commander he could remain aloof and thoughtful. When he made a decision there was no-one to challenge him.

Following in the footsteps of other soldier-statesmen

On the political battlefield, by contrast, he has a host of interest groups for and against him.

Rather than trusting that his authority would win the day - as it did in the army - Mr Barak has been trying to please friends and foes alike.

Given his difficulties, there is a question mark over how long the current coalition can survive.

But a full public appraisal of Mr Barak's performance as prime minister will await the next elections in Israel, whenever they may be held.

The indications at present are that all but his most committed supporters will decide that they prefer to remember Mr Barak as an adored military commander, and will look for a more seasoned political campaigner to back in the future.

Gerald Butt is senior editor of Middle East Economic Survey (MEES)