U. students split on Israel's new leader

As Ariel Sharon begins to establish his new government in Israel, Penn students remain divided on what the former general's landslide election will mean for the Middle East peace process. In an election outcome that surprised few, Sharon defeated incumbent Prime Minister Ehud Barak by more than 20 percent of the vote. Penn students had mixed reactions about the election results. Some said they felt it was time for a change in Israeli leadership. Rachel Toaff, a College freshman who is planning to move to Israel in the near future, said she was pleased to hear of the new leadership. "I think the way things are now is a result of Barak," Toaff said. "Israel needs somebody strong who is going to stand up for Israel, not hungering for a Nobel Peace Prize." Toaff said that she has strong ties to the Prime Minister-elect. Her father served under Sharon's command in the Israeli army. "I think that Israel will have a greater chance of succeeding now that Sharon is there," Toaff added. But Sharon has come under fire for his right-wing stance on Israeli-Arab relations. As Defense Minister, he developed Israel's failed invasion of Lebanon in 1982. Prior to the election, Barak had been criticized by many for sacrificing too much in order to create a peace treaty with the Palestinians. And some Arab students are expecting the worst from the new Prime Minister. Engineering and Wharton sophomore Rashid Tuweiq is the vice president of public relations for the Penn Arab Student Society. "I'm pessimistic," he said. "His previous record is not the average record. I never expected such a person would come back to be in power." "I think Palestinians are going to see this as a loss of faith in the Israelis to come to any sort of concession," College sophomore Farhana Ali added. Wharton sophomore Ahmed Athamadi said that he believes there is no hope for peace under Sharon's leadership. "The best that can be hoped for is that [the peace process] will just be frozen until the next administration," he said. And some students are afraid that the election of a former Israeli army commander will lead to the demise of the peace process altogether. College sophomore Bryan Hirsch said that Sharon's beliefs are in stark contrast to those of a beloved former Prime Minister, the late Yitzhak Rabin. "Ariel Sharon seems to be far more militant," Hirsch said. "He wants peace through a very different process." Yet despite the controversy surrounding the election, College freshman Shimon Brooks said he is cautiously optimistic about the future of Israel. "In the long term, this is a step in the direction of peace," he said. "But in my opinion, peace is a long time away." Brooks also said that Barak fell out of favor with the Israeli people for steps that he took outside of the peace process. "He made a lot of promises to the Israeli population that he couldn't keep," Brooks said. "Barak did too much too fast." "I think Barak chased after his ideals too much," Wharton junior David Cohen said. "Sharon's generally more logical in dealing with revolt from the inside." "Barak was making concessions, and the Palestinians weren't accepting them," Wharton junior Phil Mayer added. "The Israelis came to see that the Palestinians don't want peace as much as they do." Still others said that Sharon's beliefs represent the majority of Israeli citizens. "Sharon's being elected is a sign of the will of the people," Engineering sophomore David Bard said. Bard is the president of Penn PAC, an organization that promotes the United States' relationship with Israel. "Sharon's not going to start a war unless the people demand it," he added.