No difference

Likud leader Benjamin Netanyahu, who by the time this paper went to print was leading the race, subscribes to hardline positions in regard to peace with the Palestinians and Syrians. He declared himself unwilling to accept the creation of a Palestinian state on lands occupied in the 1967 war.

He claims to want to improve the living conditions of the Palestinians under occupation but denies them, for perpetuity, their ultimate goal, that of establishing an independent state with East Jerusalem as its capital.

Concerning the Syrian track and the Golan Heights, Netanyahu ruled out any territorial concessions, dashing all hopes of ever reaching a peace deal with Damascus.

For Netanyahu, territory is strategically more important than peace. With such a mind-set, peace will remain as elusive as ever.

Kadima leader Tzipi Livni is equally unyielding when it comes to the terms for a settlement with the Palestinians and the Syrians. While claiming that she supports the so-called two-state solution in principle, she did nothing to see this project advance during her term in office as foreign minister.

Livni and her mentor, outgoing prime minister Ehud Olmert, dragged their feet on a viable peace deal with the Palestinians throughout their tenure, obviously not willing to take action.

The onslaught on Gaza that both Olmert and Livni zealously supported, showed their true intentions vis-à-vis the conflict with the Palestinians.

Labour leader Ehud Barak, who aimed at changing the direction of his party’s declining fortunes, also championed ferocious tactics when he supervised the war on Gaza that killed and maimed thousands of innocent people.

Lest one should forget, it was Barak who frustrated the attainment of a peace accord with the Syrians during Bill Clinton’s presidency, by backing away from an imminent deal.

The words of the candidate of the extreme far right, Avigdor Lieberman of the ultranationalist Yisrael Beitenu party, expected to do quite well in the election, speak volumes about where he stands on the peace process in the Middle East. Lieberman is outspoken in rejecting any concessions to Palestinians and Syrians, and wants to raise the stakes in the Arab-Israeli conflicts to more ominous heights.

Such being the state of affairs in Israel, for the Arabs it will make little difference who wins the election. All these leaders have been tried, and no substantial differences distinguish them when it comes to the core issues dividing Israelis and Arabs. A sad reality.