This week in Israel Ehud Olmert is completing his tenure in office. The question of his legacy remains.  Was he generally good or bad for Israel?  This is a question for Israeli politicians, international diplomats and the Israeli public to ultimately decide but in the meantime the overall opinion is that his legacy is somewhere in the middle.  He brought about some positive changes to Israeli society and international recognition but also conducted himself in a way that had more damaging effects to his home country.  For Olmert there is still the chance that he’ll bring back Gilad Shalit in his final days in office, and we all sincerely hope that he is able to spearhead this process (see more in this article http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1071417.html).  Out with the old and in with the new as we all await the new government in Israel; one that will be led by Binyamin Netanyahu.

In 1996 Netanyahu succeeded the peace heroes, Rabin and Shimon Peres, and this time he will replace an unpopular prime minister, who left a minimal mark on the country's history. Just as Israel's international standing has reached a low point, Netanyahu can correct the situation and, in a positive way, surprise the rest of the world, which considers him to be a stubborn right-wing extremist...

... Netanyahu will win the world's respect if he avoids the aggressive policy of his predecessor and keeps his promise to improve the Palestinian economy by taking visible steps; entering into negotiations with Syria will help, too.  And if he wants to surprise everyone, he will pass the Arab initiative (to go back to pre-1967 borders) in the cabinet, with reservations, the way Sharon did with the road map...  Is Netanyahu capable of this? 

(If you want to read the whole article- Mr. Almost / By Aluf Benn : http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1070072.html )