Israeli opponents keep up their guard in TV debate

The answers sounded carefully scripted. In the only television debate of the Israeli election campaign Shimon Peres, the Prime Minister, and Binyamin Netanyahu of the right-wing Likud party, searched for each other's weak points and protected their own. Asked about his age Mr Peres, 72, said: "If you had to elect a male model and not a prime minister, then age would be an issue."

Mr Netanyahu was asked about his admission on TV three years ago that he had committed adultery and was being blackmailed by political opponents who had a video proving the liaison. Did it show that he could not take decisions under pressure?

Balancing gingerly between defence and counter-attack Mr Netanyahu replied: "It hurt me, it hurt my wife, it hurt my family. It was a mistake. But the mistake that Mr Peres made ... hurts the whole people of Israel. People here live in fear." Then with a touch of self-pity he added: "This whole campaign has been an attack on my personality, my family, my patriotism."

It may not change many votes on 29 May but it does not have to. Israeli elections are notoriously difficult to forecast because a large part of the electorate is difficult for pollsters to penetrate. The priorities of Russian immigrants, Israeli-Arabs and the ultra-orthodox - a third of the 4 million electorate - differ from the rest of Israelis.

The format also restricted debate. Held in the Labour party headquarters in Tel Aviv the questions came from a moderator with only limited right of reply. But the Likud leader - hammering away on the issue of personal security - appeared more aggressive and better prepared than the Prime Minister.

Mr Peres began by saying the election was about the peace accords, between increasing Israeli settlements, which would bring back the Intifada (Palestinian uprising), and a process which would bring peace to the Middle East. Mr Netanyahu said that as a result of Mr Peres's peace policy "our children are afraid to get on a bus". Their security was in the hands of Yasser Arafat, the Palestine Liberation Organisation leader.

Mr Netanyahu said he would return security to the army and the Shin Bet security forces. This was dangerous ground for him because Israelis do not want their soldiers back in Gaza and Nablus. When the moderator asked if Mr Netanyahu would send troops back into Palestinian cities he replied "my experience with the Arabs" showed that they respected strength.

Part of the debate was taken up by an exchange of allegations over Jerusalem. Mr Netanyahu pledged to close down Orient House, the Palestinian centre in East Jerusalem. Mr Peres said that a united Jerusalem will remain the capital of Israel.

Mr Peres is most vulnerable on the charge that after he promised peace 59 people were killed in Israel by four suicide bombers in February and March. It is the explosions which revived Mr Netanyahu's campaign. From 20 per cent behind he narrowed the gap to only 4 per cent which is within the margin of error given by pollsters.

Meanwhile Israel closed its borders to almost all Palestinians yesterday to prevent attacks by Muslim militants, according to an army spokesman.

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