Israel is a divided country. There are long-standing differences between Arabs and Jews, Ashkenazi and Sephardi Jews, and Labor and Likud supporters -- the last a split that has roughly mirrored the divide between hawks and doves. In recent years, those divisions seem to have intensified. Worse, new ones have arisen: between secular and religious Jews, between longtime residents and recent immigrants. The antagonisms reached a peak in 1995, when a hardline Jew assassinated Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin, shattering the myth that, for all their differences, Jew would never kill Jew.

This is the country that Mr. Ehud Barak, the former general turned Labor Party leader, inherited this week in his stunning election win. His task is to heal those divisions and unite Israel. If he succeeds, he can bring real peace to the region. He can succeed, too, with the political will and support from Israel's allies and from friends of Middle East peace.

Mr. Barak won a convincing victory over incumbent Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. With over 80 percent of the voting public turning out for the election, there is no mistaking the new prime minister's mandate. Traditionally, Israel's elections are decided by narrow margins; Mr. Barak's double-digit victory win is almost unprecedented. As former Prime Minister Shimon Peres, one of the moving forces behind Israel's peace agreement with the Palestinians, said, "As of today, this is a different Israel."Sort of. Mr. Netanyahu's Likud party is the big loser in the vote: According to projections, its representation in the Knesset, Israel's Parliament, fell from 32 seats to 19. But One Israel, Mr. Barak's coalition of three parties, also lost seats, going from 34 to 27. One of the big winners was Shas, a religious party, that has supported Mr. Netanyahu. Mr. Barak may be able to create a center-left coalition, but the opposition forces will be formidable. Since real movement will require consensus -- and the new prime minister has pledged to create one -- hopes for speedy progress on the peace talks are sure to be disappointed.