Barak takes helm, launches Israel on course for peace
Fifty days after voters rejected the hard-line policies of Benjamin Netanyahu's Likud Party in favor of a center-left coalition, former army chief Ehud Barak took the oath of office as Israel's new prime minister.

• A highly decorated soldier takes on mantle of dove
• U.S. and Israel longtime friends
• Holocaust survivor brings change to Knesset

Pre-election News and Analysis

Analysis: A different election
	As Israelis prepare to go to the polls for the second parliamentary elections in three years, a question arises that paraphrases Passover literature: "Why is this election different from all other elections?"

Palestinian perspective: Election viewed with skepticism
	The Palestinians, and officials in the Palestinian Authority in particular, have been following the Israeli elections closely. Much is resting on whom the Israelis elect as prime minister and how that person negotiates with the Palestinians.

• More choices, weaker voices
• A one-issue election puts the spotlight on Netanyahu
• Video Essay: Voter's Own Words
• Expatriate finds Israelis very much involved in politics
• Palestinians express qualified support for Barak
• U.S. 'hired guns' leave their mark on Israeli politics
• From TIME.com: James Carville stirs Israel's melting pot