So long as Barak learned some important lessons from his shoot-the-moon with Arafat, I think this is good news. I’ve always liked Barak.

The former Israeli prime minister, Ehud Barak, has taken a razor-thin victory in the race for the leadership of his country’s Labour Party, positioning him to become the next Minister of Defence and raising the possibility of early elections.
“I will invest all my energy and knowledge into strengthening the defence establishment and the Israel Defense Forces, and returning to Israel the power of deterrence,” said Mr Barak, who is also a former army Chief of Staff, in his victory speech early today.
Mr Barak had taken his leave of politics after his sole term as prime minister, from 1999 to 2001, ended in disgrace. In less than two years, he withdrew Israel’s forces from southern Lebanon, then tried unsuccessfully to negotiate peace with Syria and the Palestinians, and was finally driven from office in a massive election defeat by Ariel Sharon after the start of the last intifada.