The Israelis are at a crucial political juncture, one that will determine the future possibilities of peace and stability in the region. Sharon's call for early elections will prove every bit as significant as our own mid-term elections. We now see with resounding, unpredictable Republican victories across the board that the political climate of western democracies is uncertain. With the threat of Islamic extremism literally spanning the globe and the economies of America and Israel in a freefall, the choice of Likud or Labor is not a forgone conclusion. This is a time when decisions count and Israel still has the chance to make the right ones.

By calling for elections, Sharon has shown that he is a consummate political strategist, but apparently not a student of history. It would appear as though early elections would end Benjamin "Bibi" Netanyahu's bid to lead the 16th Knesset and result in widespread Likud victory, but previous calls for early elections have not ended as planned. Rabin and Peres lost their seats in early elections rather than strengthening their hold on them. Bibi and Barak chose the early election route and both were tossed out in the end. Likud is supposed to win by a landslide, but I sincerely hope the Israeli people are better students of history than their Likud leadership. It not just the history of elections that favors Labor, but the recent history of the Likud Party itself. All it takes is a glance over the last few Likud leaders' results to see they have not gotten the job done.

The combined five-year legacy of Netanyahu and Sharon has been nothing short of disastrous. Sharon in particular has shown exactly how inept he is at dealing with the complex problems facing the Israeli state. His "Security Solution" is a failure. By neglecting the real problems facing his country, Sharon achieved nothing while Israeli citizens and Palestinians alike suffered. Retaliation by the IDF, including the ill-advised military ordinance bombing of Sheik Shehada in Gaza in July and the repeated incursions into West Bank cities, have not given Israel security. If anything, they have driven more disaffected Palestinian youths to Hamas and the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades.

Of course the Palestinians "never miss an opportunity to miss an opportunity" as the phrase now in the vernacular of Mideast pundits goes. The U.S. diplomatic missions to Palestine coincided with terrorist attacks and vitriolic anti-American sentiment. Arafat is every bit as impotent in peace negotiations as Sharon and his continued support, tacit and direct, for the suicide bombers is appalling. But Arafat is an autocratic despot in loose control of a torn, occupied land. To expect much of anything from him is a recipe for disaster. Sharon, on the other hand, leads a modern, democratic state with the absolute backing of the world's only superpower. Is it reasonable to expect regime change from the Palestinian Authority while Sharon is pushing to give more cash to settlers and Israeli tanks roll in and out of Jenin like clockwork?

The unfortunate truth is that violence favors Sharon politically-in peace he loses all legitimacy. Put simply, Sharon has no constructive policies and he never had intentions of meaningful negotiations with the Palestinians. As Yoel Marcus said in a recent Ha'aretz editorial about Sharon, "The guy can't even dismantle a lean-to or a tent in an illegal [Israeli] outpost." Sharon's first priority appears to be the settlements, and this is at the expense of all those living inside Israel proper. Sharon was an excellent brigade commander, but he is not a leader with vision and compassion. Security is not impossible for Israel, as was proven in the relatively peaceful years between the first and second intifadas. This lull was not solely the result of false hopes created by the Camp David Accords as cynics claim, but in large part, the cooperation between Israeli and Palestinian authorities. Sharon, Bibi and their Likud cronies may not think so, but there is another way. That being said, it will take a Labor victory to see it.

I hope that Labor adds itself to the list of unlikely Israeli political victories. It will no doubt be difficult, and I fear perhaps the Palestininians will have proven to be Likud's best ally at the polls. Centrist Israelis are sick of the violence, of Arafat's ridiculous denials and of the lack of responsibility on the Palestinian side for their own destiny. For Israel, the choice is on the table, and it is clear-do Israelis want more violence and uncertainty or will they give Labor the ability to offer something else? Peace depends on it, and so do the lives of many Israelis and Palestinians who will fall victim to the ongoing cycle of violence that Netanyahu and Sharon have both been unable to escape.