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Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, during the weekly cabinet meeting at his office in Jerusalem on Sunday. (AP)
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09/05
Haaretz.com |
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09/05
Ynetnews.com |
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| By israelinsider staff and partners September 5, 2005 |
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Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and Binyamin Netanyahu have rejected ministers Silvan Shalom, Tzachi Hanegbi and Limor Livnat's proposal to hold the internal Likud party primaries in February, with Netanyahu and a second challenger, Uzi Landau preferring November or December, and Sharon opting for May 2006.
The ministers also proposed that Sharon and Netanyahu pledge to remain in the Likud party even if they lose the primary election.
Sharon's associates say the Prime Minister views the bid to advance the primary date as an attempt to depose him, and Israeli analysts agree that the idea of the challengers is to "strike while the iron is hot" and anger toward Sharon within the party is still raging.
If Sharon loses the party's leadership primary to Netanyahu, he has already said that he would leave the Likud party rather than serve under his former finance minister.
With the surprise resignation of strategic advisor Shaya Segal, who had counseled him not to leave his post at Finance, the Netanyahu camp is also showing some cracks.
Although polls show him to be the clear frontrunner, Netanyahu announced that he would remain in the Likud party even if he loses.
Meanwhile, Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom said on Sunday at a Likud meeting in Kiryat Gat, "If Sharon decides not to run for the Likud leadership, I will." Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz last week made a similar "strategic decision."
According to a report in Ynetnews.com, Shalom explained why he would not run against both Sharon and Netanyahu, saying, "They are the main players.
"Amongst Sharon's people there are people who are telling him to quit the party because he has no chance of winning, and even if he did win he would head a highly fractious party. And if he is elected Prime Minister, the party would ask the president to appoint someone else to put together a government," continued Shalom."But pushing Sharon out would give power to the left wing. And I am telling you, even in the media, there is a push for Sharon to quit."
Sderot Mayor Eli Moyal, a member of the Likud, blasted both candidates for party leadership. "There is a lot of fury at our prime minister, the finance minister has trampled our development towns. Listen to what the candidates themselves are saying about one another: that neither one is worthy," he said.
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