Israel's 2003 election took place against the background of a deteriorating security situation (due to Palestinian violence and the impending US War in Iraq) and severe disillusionment with the Oslo peace process. The election, which brought about a decisive victory of the Likud Party and Ariel Sharon, took place amidst strong accusations of corruption and the virtual collapse of the Israeli left. The election also featured the rise of the anti-clerical Shinui party, which resulted in the exclusion of the ultra-Orthodox parties from the new coalition. In this volume, leading Israeli political scientists explore the main actors and processes that shaped the election and its outcome.
This book was previously published as a special issue of the journal Israel Affairs.

The 1999 Israeli elections focused on the character of the main political contenders for prime minister - Binyamin Netanyahu and Ehud Barak. Along with Barak's victory, the Israeli public made important statements concerning the shape and direction of Israeli political culture with a hope of a centrist vision. Leading Israeli political scientists discuss the revival of the Israeli left and the increased strength of ethnic Sephardi, Russian and Arab electorates. They also examine the place of foreign policy, media, and other socio-economic factors on the outcome of the election.

This publication presents a wide compendium of approaches to Jewish-Arab dialogue and conflict resolution from an interdisciplinary perspective based on political science, social psychology and cultural studies, integrating both theory and practice. It combines both qualitative analysis with quantitative empirical results based on case studies. It appeals to both researchers and practitioners. It promises to offer a treatment of innovative and timely themes such as religious diplomacy, interreligious dialogue and relationship building in Israeli mixed cities and the place of both idealism and realism or both power and dialogue in the advancement of inter-religious approaches to dialogue and cooperation between Jews and Arabs in the Middle East. The book also includes a focus on conflict resolution strategies rooted in the Jewish Political Tradition which is relevant to the larger discussion of religion, dialogue and conflict resolution.