After congratulating Barak on his victory, President Arafat commented yesterday on the results of the Israeli elections saying: “We hope the electing of Barak will contribute in expediting and pushing the peace process forward on the right track; we will respect the results of the Israeli democracy.” Other Palestinian figures welcomed the results. PLC Speaker Ahmad Qrei’ said he hopes for the resumption of the peace process which was frozen by Netanyahu; he added that the results showed beyond any doubt that Israelis want to resume the peace process, expressing hope for forgetting the three bad years of Netanyahu’s rule with hope coming back to resume peace efforts. Minister of Local Government Saeb Erekat said the victory of Barak is a victory for the peace camp; he added: “The new Israeli government must continue implementing the Wye River agreement to pave the way towards the final settlement.” Information Minister said: “The defeat of Netanyahu is a defeat for the extremist right wing and the results must be a lesson to the victorious and not to those who was defeated.” Abed Rabbo stressed: “Palestinians and Arabs must not be hasty and start welcoming Barak’s victory before knowing the practical line of the new government. In Cairo, head of the PLO Political Department Farouq Qaddumi commented that Palestinians do not see real differences between the positions of Likud and Labor candidates; he added: “We have had experiences with both parties and the differences between them are very minimal.” Qaddumi explained: The Likud Party does not respect agreements and has no desire to achieve peace and denies the Palestinian national rights. The Labor Party is more flexible but will not achieve anything unless international pressure is exerted. So, if progress in the peace process is to be made, the US and Europe must exert pressure and the US must activate its role in addition to reinforcing the Arab solidarity and coordination. Arafat’s advisor Nabil Abu Rdeineh said: “We deal with any Israeli government that is elected; what we care for is to have a government that commits itself to the agreements and is ready to move forward in the peace process.

General Secretary of the Arab League Council Ismat Abdul Majeed said Arabs hope that the Israeli elections will put an end to the crisis in the peace talks in the Middle East. He added that Barak’s intentions on the peace process are still unclear. [Al-Quds; Al-Hayat Al-Jadida; Al-Ayyam Newspapers, May 18]

Palestinians do not want the return of Netanyahu but will not applaud for Barak. Jameel Marar, a businessman from Ramallah said: "I want to remind everybody that the hands of General Barak are stained with blood of Palestinian martyrs more than any other person. Barak and Netanyahu are two sides of the same coin; I do not expect anything more from either of them. He explained that Barak has won several medals in the Israeli army and that he participated in the Israeli commandos unit which assassinated three Palestinian leaders in Lebanon in 1973 and in the operation assassinating Abu Jihad in Tunisia in 1986. He added that most Palestinians remember Barak very well when he was chief of Staff during the peak of Intifada with a major role in confronting it. An employee in a bank in Ramallah said the only difference between Barak and Netanyahu is that the latter is straightforward while Barak is diplomatic. Afeef Saleh, 39, a store owner in Ramallah said Barak's victory might revive economic conditions because of the instability created by Netanyahu, expressing fear that the economic prosperity might be temporary because the Israeli stalling will return after some time. Accountant Salem Abu Eisheh, 38, sees Barak's victory as giving negotiations a new force. [Al-Quds Newspaper, May 18]

Sheikh Ahmad Yaseen, the spiritual leader of Hamas, said the movement will resume its attacks at Israel regardless of the victory of Barak in the Israeli elections. He added that the Military Wing of Hamas will continue fighting but there are difficulties that they face in the location, place and form of the attack. He said the matter does not depend on whether the Labor or the Likud wins. Sheikh Yaseen said: “Palestinians hoping for the winning of Barak must look at the other side of the formula which is the improvement of Israel’s image throughout the world. He continued: “The Likud pollicies reveal the real Zionist intentions. David Bar Ilan, Netanyahu’s press advisor, said Arafat launched an arrest campaign against Hamas before the Israeli elections to assist Barak in defeating Netanyahu. [Al-Hayat Al-Jadida Newspaper, May 18]; Sheikh Ahmad Yaseen said the winning of Barak is a new labyrinth for the Palestinian people; he said the Likud and Labor bring the same results; both parties deny giving the Palestinian people their rights; Barak’s victory takes Palestinians into labyrinth, debate and discussion that will achieve nothing to our people. [Al-Quds Newspaper, May 18]