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The defeat of Netanyahu, who had taken even a further confrontational position than Sharon, in dealing with the conflicts between Israel and Palestine, is a small step toward reconciliation, instead of continued revenge.

The polls showed Netanyahu down 15-20% in days before the Likud Primary elections, and the early projections on Israel TV showed Sharon with 61 percent of the vote, compared to 37 for Netanyahu(TV-One); Sharon leading 58% to 40.5% (TV-Two). Either way, Netanyahu, who tried to outflank Sharon on the right, and was dealt a crushing defeat.

For the General election, polls predict Likud will win, mainly because of the Israeli public's shift to the right following two years of increased revengeful Israeli-Palestinian fighting; but even further, the expectations are for a "huge victory" January 28th.

The rise of Mitzna to head the Labor party brings a pledge to unilaterally withdraw from areas in the West Bank and leave the remainder of the Gaza Strip within a year of being elected. The position is greeted by the Arabs as a sign that the party is offering an alternative to the policies of the present government and of treating Arabs as equal citizens; and is being greeted by the right with unified opposition.

The leader of the newly formed right coalition, Avigdor Lieberman, calls for "a declaration that the Oslo process was null and void and a public rejection of the US road map, which envisions an independent Palestinian state by 2005" (actually, it's 2003). Sharon, who rejected these ultra-right positions, has begun to acknowledge that there must be steps made soon toward the formation of a Palestinian state, in order to resolve the conflict.

The cycle of further destruction was firmly rejected by the Likud (polls show nearly half of the Likud in support of a Palestine state). In the general election debate against the Labor Party's Amram Mitzna, Sharon is going to be faced against strong calls for an end to the conflict. It's a sign of the times when the hawkish Sharon is cast at the center of the politics in Israel.

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