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Source: http://washingtoninstitute.org/templateC05.php?CID=3037
The New Israeli Government
[Washington Institute for Near East Policy] David Makovsky - Benjamin Netanyahu has been sworn in as Israel's next prime minister almost a decade after the end of his first premiership. In addition, Ehud Barak continues his tenure as defense minister. Barak and Netanyahu appear to share common views on Iran, Syria, and the Palestinian Authority. In the early 1970s, Netanyahu served under Barak in Israel's elite commando unit, Sayeret Matkal. As such, they seem to share a commando view of the world: utter secrecy among a tight circle and utilization of unorthodox methods to reach unswerving goals. In the West Bank, Netanyahu and Barak believe that some final status issues between Israel and the PA cannot be resolved in the current environment, yet both think PA institution building should be pursued.