: 10.0pt"> Israel prime minister Ariel Sharon's Likud conservative party won in the national elections, gaining 37 of the 120 seats in the legislature. Other conservative parties also won big, at the expense of liberal parties. Israeli voters are attracted to Sharon's promise to meet Palestinian attacks with strong measures. The liberal parties have, for years, pushed peace and compromise. A majority of Israelis backed this approach until the Palestinian terrorist attacks began 28 months ago.