Every indexed document

he replied: “Past sins cannot pardon future ones.” Eli

it was over a violation of the Jewish Sabbath. It

with five Knesset seats. It wasn’t over land-for-peace. In an echo of

we had a comfortable Knesset majority: 75 out of the 120

and shifting the emphasis on the Palestinian track away

and the rest to be worked out in further talks.” When he nodded

ten percent to allow us to retain and secure the largest of the

I was careful to accentuate the positive. I said the reason

nothing less than a new relationship between

and I told him I appreciated it. I also arrived with

but I couldn’t help wondering how Arafat

the main crossing point into Gaza. It was swelteringly hot inside. At

Bibi as well. This was not just because the shape of a final

peace is around the corner. I wanted a coalition broad enough to

I wanted to avoid an undiluted left-of-centre

the 79-year-old rabbi and Talmudic scholar

I decided to go with the Sephardi Orthodox party. I

and One Israel had the largest number of Knesset seats

issue-specific parties. The result: though I’d won

I fielded a stream of calls: from friends