Gen. election: Israel chooses between two army men--a hawk passing for a moderate and a dove on horseback. (Beyond The Beltway).(Amram Mitzna, Ariel Sharon)

IN THE LOBBY OF THE JERUSALEM Convention Center, glossy campaign leaflets of wannabe Knesset members carpeted the floor. Activists flowed from the hall where the Labor Party's newly chosen leader, Amram Mitzna, had pledged to order Israel's withdrawal from the Gaza Strip upon becoming prime minister. The party convention was ending unexpectedly early, as Mitzna's overwhelming victory had persuaded backers of ex-party chief Binyamin Ben-Eliezer to drop a challenge on how to pick Knesset candidates for Israel's Jan. 28 elections.

I spotted a Knesset member, a Ben-Eliezer man. ...

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