Political Cross Fire

ONE IS A HAWK, THE OTHER A DOVE. EACH HAS NOW soared to great political heights in Israel. Former Deputy Foreign Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, 43, was elected chief of the opposition Likud bloc, and ultraleftist politician Ezer ) Weizman, 68, was chosen by the Knesset to be Israel's next President, a largely ceremonial post.

With the articulate and popular Netanyahu at the head of the opposition, the government of Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin will probably face a tougher time selling its policies. Trickiest will be Rabin's proposal to return at least part of the Golan Heights to Syria, a move opposed by Netanyahu and about half the population. Concessions for peace will have an eloquent advocate in Weizman, a former Defense Minister and chief of the air force and one of Israel's most flamboyant politicians. Once an avid hawk, Weizman now supports withdrawal from the Golan, direct negotiations with the P.L.O. and the establishment of a Palestinian state.