Does split serve Sharon?
צילום: רויטרס
'Likud split serves Sharon'
Leading Likud "rebel" Uzi Landau calls on supporters to refrain from splitting and "return to roots"
TEL AVIV - A Likud party split would serve the interests of Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, leading Likud "rebel" Uzi Landau told Ynet Tuesday.
"A united movement that follows Likud principles would reject the prime minister's ideas," he said.
In a commemoration ceremony Tuesday evening, Landau said a new national camp should be reestablished within Likud ranks, and slammed the current atmosphere as a "Bolshevik democracy."
"The prime minister ignores decisions that were taken," Landau said. "He doesn't care about the Likud and he doesn’t care about his ministers."
"We shouldn't split, but rather, return to our roots," Landau added. "In that case, the prime minister and ministers would represent the movement's interests."
'We won't lead to party split'
The intra-Likud deal reached on Monday was formulated in an aim to avoid a split, Landau told Ynet, referring to the Likud rebels' agreement to support the budget in the Knesset Finance committee in exchange for party support for a national referendum in the Constitution Committee.
"There's still a week before the budget vote in the Knesset and we thought it would be right to refrain from going forward in an atmosphere of a rift," he said, and added that Likud rebels would not bring about a party split.
