UNITED STATES: ISRAELI CITIZENS IN WASHINGTON REACT TO ARIEL SHARON'S PRIME MINISTERIAL ELECTION VICTORY

Record ID: 338293

  • Title: UNITED STATES: ISRAELI CITIZENS IN WASHINGTON REACT TO ARIEL SHARON'S PRIME MINISTERIAL ELECTION VICTORY
  • Date: 6th February 2001
  • Summary: WASHINGTON, D.C. UNITED STATES (FEBRUARY 6, 2001) (REUTERS-ACCESS ALL) 1. WS: PEOPLE WATCHING SCREEN 0.03 2. SCU: WOMAN REACTING TO WHAT IS ON TV SCREEN, HOLDING HER HEAD IN HER HANDS 0.09 3. CU: TV SCREEN SHOWING INITIAL EXIT POLLS 0.14 4. WIDE OF PEOPLE WATCHING SCREEN 0.19 5. CU:WOMAN WATCHING 0.22 6. CU: WOMAN WATCHING 0.26 7. PAN: ROOM OF PEOPLE WATCHING SCREEN 0.32 8. SCU: (SOUNDBITE) (English) UNIDENTIFIED ISRAELI CITIZEN: "But it is devastating. The fact that huge populations stayed away from the polls mainly Arabs and progressives made it very easy for him to win. I don't think he has a mandate for much." 0.45 9. SCU: (SOUNDBITE) (English) UNIDENTIFIED ISRAELI CITIZEN: "Personally I'm very pleased because the way it used to be in the past 19 months was a suicide mission." 0.59 10. SCU: (SOUNDBITE) (English) UNIDENTIFIED ISRAELI CITIZEN "They voted with their gut. They voted for the bully who said I will show the Arabs who's the boss around here. They're just not willing to give any more chance for peace in that way. They just want to get peace by force by showing we are the strongest." 1.18 11. MV: PEOPLE WATCHING BARAK GIVING CONCESSION SPEECH 1.23 12. SV: TWO PEOPLE WATCHING SCREEN 1.27 13. WS/SV: PEOPLE WATCHING BARAK GIVING CONCESSION SPEECH (2 SHOTS) 1.35 14. WS: PEOPLE WATCHING 1.40 15. SCU: (SOUNDBITE) (English) ISRAELI AMBASSADOR DAVID IVRY: "I think we have been witnesses to a real democratic election. This is the will of the people that has been exposed here. Now we have to give a chance to a new government to settle down and establish a new policy. I think anyone knows that any government in Israel is looking for peace." 2.05 16. MV: PEOPLE WATCHING SCREEN 2.11 17. SCU: (SOUNDBITE) (English) U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE COLIN POWELL: "We'll see what Mr. Sharon does." 2.16 Initials Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved
  • Embargoed: 21st February 2001 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: WASHINGTON, D.C. UNITED STATES
  • City:
  • Country: USA
  • Reuters ID: LVAE4I4LM3EHZ5GTIRRONFFHNDWC
  • Story Text: U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell has expressed
    caution after Ariel Sharon was declared the winner of Israel's
    prime ministerial election.

    Earlier, a group of Israeli citizens, most of them
    supporters of Prime Minister Ehud Barak, gathered at the
    Israeli embassy in Washington D.C. to watch the election
    returns broadcast live on Israeli television.



    The majority of people who had gathered at Israeli
    embassy in Washington on Tuesday (February 6) were
    disappointed when the returns came in at 1500 est (2000 gmt)
    showing that Ariel Sharon had won by a decisive margin over
    outgoing prime minister Ehud Barak.

    Unofficial results of the election released at 0305 GMT
    on Wednesday (February 7) with 99.9 percent of the polling
    places counted indicated that Sharon won the election with
    62.5 percent of the votes compared to Barak's 37.4 percent.

    According to the Central Election
    Committee on Wednesday Sharon defeated Barak by a whopping 25
    percentage points.

    Most of people making up the small crowd at the Israeli
    embassy on Tuesday were supporters of Prime Minister Ehud
    Barak. One woman said the voter turn-out was a contributor to
    Sharon's landslide victory.

    "The fact that huge populations stayed away from the polls
    mainly Arabs and progressives made it very easy for him to
    win. I don't think he has a mandate for much," the woman said.

    Another woman said of the Sharon supporters, "They voted
    with their gut. They voted for the bully who said I will show
    the Arabs who's the boss around here. They're just not willing
    to give any more chance for peace in that way. They just want
    to get peace by force by showing showing we are the
    strongest".

    One of the few Ariel Sharon supporters in the crowd,
    however, was glad to see Sharon win. He disapproved of the
    way Barak has handled the peace process.

    "Personally I'm very pleased because the way it's been in
    the past 19 months was a suicide mission," said the Sharon
    voter.

    The crowd at the embassy tapered down to a few who stayed
    and watched Prime Minister Ehud Barak give his concession
    speech. Afterwards the Israeli Ambassador to the United
    States, David Ivry, who will almost certainly be replaced
    asked everyone to give the new government a chance.

    "I think we have been witnesses to a real democratic
    election. This is the will of the people that has been exposed
    here. Now we have to give a chance to a new government to
    settle down and establish a new policy. I think anyone knows
    that any government in Israel is looking for peace," the
    Ambassador said.

    In Washington, Secretary of State Colin Powell reacted
    cautiously to the election results. "We'll see what Mr.

    Sharon does," he said.
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