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Message: <br /><br /> If you are having trouble reading this email, you may view this article online at: http://www.jweekly.com/19053/full/19053/web-sites-provide-election-primer/ <br /><br /> <b>Web sites provide election primer</b> <br /> Friday, January 3, 2003 | by <p>Mark Mietkiewicz </p> <br /><br /><p>As Israelis prepare to vote on Jan. 28, they'll be sizing up hundreds of candidates for Knesset, choosing between dozens of official political parties, scrutinizing the candidates for prime minister, and clicking through dozens of Web sites designed to steer voters through this complicated maze.<br /><br /> Even if you don't have a vote, you can benefit from the massive information available on the World Wide Web and follow developments in this crucial election. Before this month's election, we'll check out the political parties' Web sites and take a look at the candidates running for prime minister. But first, an introduction to politics, Israel-style.<br /><br /> Understanding Israel's electoral system can be a bit daunting to a foreigner. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has put together an impressive site—<a href="http://www.mfa.gov.il">http://www.mfa.gov.il</a>—that explains the country's system of government and the events that led to the election call. A similar site is "The Israeli Elections—Guide for the Perplexed," which also has background on the parties and people who have shaped previous Israeli elections. It's at <a href="http://shlk.com/272">http://shlk.com/272</a> And political junkies will love the Jewish Virtual Library, which summarizes the final standings of every election since the creation of the state. It's at <a href="http://www.us-israel.org/jsource/Politics/mktoc.html">http://www.us-israel.org/jsource/Politics/mktoc.html</a><br /><br /> If you are more interested in the contemporary goings-on in the political scene, these two sites should give you your fill. The Jerusalem Post's "Elections 2003: Israel Decides" is a marvelous site with extensive background about the history, the issues and the people making news. It's at <a href="http://info.jpost.com/C002/Supplements/Elections2003">http://info.jpost.com/C002/Supplements/Elections2003</a> Similarly, don't miss the excellent English-language edition of Ha'aretz, at <a href="http://shlk.com/275">http://shlk.com/275</a> The Jerusalem Report biweekly—<a href="http://www.jrep.com">http://www.jrep.com</a>—concentrates on feature articles, while Globes—<a href="http://www.globes.co.il">http://www.globes.co.il</a>—looks at Israeli news from a business perspective. Note: Some newspaper sites require registration but they are all free.<br /><br /> One of my favorite sites is the Green Screen News Library for Middle East and Israel at <a href="http://www.gsnonweb.com">http://www.gsnonweb.com</a> This amazing site carries the latest stories from Reuters, the Associated Press, The Jerusalem Post and Ha'aretz. But what it makes it truly valuable is that has a fully searchable archive of 100,000 articles dating back to January 1998.<br /><br /> As good as those sites are, if you want to get a complete view of the campaign with all the local nuances, then you need to read the news in Hebrew. The Ha'aretz site (which has an English edition) has news, features, a timetable and background on the parties and candidates, at <a href="http://shlk.com/276">http://shlk.com/276</a> Also check out coverage in the popular Yediot Ahronot, at <a href="http://www.ynet.co.il">http://www.ynet.co.il</a><br /><br /> If you have always wanted to read Hebrew on the Web but have struggled teaching your browser another language then I have some advice for you. Although Mozilla isn't as famous as Netscape or Internet Explorer, I have been pleasantly surprised by how well it allows you to read Hebrew language Web sites. Simply download the free software from the Mozilla site—<a href="http://www.mozilla.org">http://www.mozilla.org</a>—install it and visit one of Hebrew sites I mentioned above.<br /><br /> B'hatzlachah! (Good luck!)</p> <p> </p>

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