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Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Defense Minister Amir Peretz (AP file)
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| By Attila Somfalvi October 24, 2006 |
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After Prime Minister Ehud Olmert signed a coalition agreement with Israel Our Home Chairman Avigdor Lieberman and created a new political and coalition reality, it is Defense Minister Amir Peretz's turn to make decisions.
The prime minister and defense minister are scheduled to meet Tuesday evening in Olmert's office in Jerusalem, and Peretz's associates defined the meeting as crucial and even dramatic.
According to one of the aides, it is still unclear what the defense minister will say to Olmert "and hence the drama."
Peretz has refrained from referring to political issues in recent days, and the messages coming from his office were relatively calm. The Labor chairman refrained from expressing his anger over the prime minister's move, but made it clear that he opposes the possibility of Israel Our Home joining the government due to the ideological differences between the Labor Party and Lieberman's party.
Meanwhile, Peretz held consultations with activists and associates on Monday in an attempt to decide how to act: To publicly come out against staying in the government, or to let the party's Central Committee decide.
Peretz even looked into the possibility of launching a campaign among members of the Central Committee in favor of leaving the government, but eventually shelved the idea.
'Willing to do a lot for Labor to stay'
Sources in the Prime Minister's Office said Monday evening that Olmert was interested in seeing the Labor Party stay in the government, and promised that "we are willing to do a lot in order for them to stay."
However, it is unclear what the prime minister's aides were referring to, as they themselves found it possible to clarify what could be offered to the Labor Party for it to stay in the government.
According to estimations, during the Olmert-Peretz meeting Tuesday evening the prime minister will try and convince the defense minister to stay in the government and will promise him that the government would not abandon the diplomatic channel and the social and economic issues.
The prime minister's aides, however, said that Olmert does not plan to present the Labor chairman with any special gestures. Olmert's associates refused to say whether the prime minister plans to promise Peretz any social or economic changes.
This article first appeared on Ynet.
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