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      Fundamentally Freund
      by Michael Freund
      An alternative approach to Israeli political commentary.
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      Michael Freund is Founder and Chairman of Shavei Israel (www.shavei.org), which reaches out and assists "lost Jews" seeking to return to the Jewish people. He writes a syndicated column and feature stories for the Jerusalem Post. Previously, he served as Deputy Director of Communications & Policy Planning in the Israeli Prime Minister´s Office under former premier Benjamin Netanyahu. A native of New York, he holds an MBA in Finance from Columbia University and a BA from the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs at Princeton University. He has lived in Israel for the past decade.

      Iyar 26, 5767, 5/14/2007

      Not Exactly a Cliffhanger of an Election...



      Don't expect a cliffhanger of a result on election night in Damascus, unless you are intensely curious to know whether Mr. Assad's final tally will be 98.9% or 99.9% of the vote
      Remember all that talk of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad being a brash, young reformer who would change the face of his country's politics after the he inherited the throne from his father seven years ago?

      Well, guess what: old habits die hard, especially in dictatorships such as Syria.
      Syria's parliament the other day unanimously approved presidential elections to be held throughout the country on May 27. But lest you think this will be an "election" in the true sense of the word, consider this: there will only be one candidate on the ballot, and his name is - drumroll, please - Bashar al-Assad.

      So don't expect a cliffhanger of a result on election night in Damascus, unless you are intensely curious to know whether Mr. Assad's final tally will be 98.9% or 99.9% of the vote.

      Just one more example of the kind of neighborhood in which Israel finds itself.....
      -----------------------
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      Michael Freund