Sharon’s pals warn of ‘Likudistan’

Sources close to Prime Minister Ariel Sharon have expressed cautious optimism ahead of the upcoming Likud Central Committee convention, where it will apparently be determined whether the primary elections for party leadership will be brought forward.

On Monday Sharon convened some 100 Likud municipal heads and deputy mayors Jerusalem and asked that they help thwart efforts to remove him from office.

Jerusalem is Israel’s capital forever,” the prime minister said during the meeting, adding that there will be no more withdrawals from the territories.

The Likud members expressed their support for Sharon and his moves, and called on him to maintain the ruling party’s unity.

On Tuesday “Haaretz” posted a new poll showing that Sharon has erased much of Benjamin Netanyahu's once-commanding lead in the Likud party leadership race, which was triggered by the evacuation of Israel's Gaza settlements.

Netanyahu sources: Not concerned by new poll

Meanwhile, the number of Likud members who oppose bringing the primary elections forward is on the rise, the poll showed.

Although sources close to Netanyahu said they are not concerned by the new poll, Netanyahu knows full well that Likud members are beginning to realize that early primary elections may result in the party’s fall from power.

Having lunch in the market      (Photo: Gil Yohanan)

Sharon’s aides told Ynet that Sharon is expected to win the Central Committee vote on early primary elections by some 200 votes, thus thwarting Netanyahu’s bid for an early face-off.

Knesset member Uzi Landau visited Jerusalem's Mahaneh Yehuda market Tuesday, where hundreds of candidates and politicians have visited in the past, in a bid to expose themselves to the public.

While he was warmly greeted by the locals, it was difficult to tell whether he was received as a possible candidate for prime minister. Hype surrounding his visit was low and so where the reactions of market shoppers.

The only Knesset member to accompany Landau on his tour was old friend and close associate Moshe Kahlon.

"I was surprised by the welcome," Kahlon said. "I did not expect them to receive him with such warmth. What is important is that Sharon goes up against an additional candidate and Uzi is most suited for that."

Landau also expressed confidence during his visit Tuesday, and said he believed his political maneuvers  and methods would succeed and bring him closer to Likud party leadership.

"This is a crowd that wants clean politics," Landau told reporters. "They want clean different politics and I intend to run until the end. Today most of the Likud wants to bring forward primaries."

However, senior officials in his campaign told Ynet that most Likud members do not really want elections. Furthermore, those close to Landau estimate that Sharon would probably succeed at present in overturning the vote to bring forward party primaries.

One senior official in Landau's campaign told Ynet that, "In our opinion, it is more important to 'knock out' Bibi regarding what he did and his behavior. Even Knesset members who expressed their support for him are sorry today and have disappeared from the general picture. "

"We are looking to the future, to a time after the central committee vote, as most chances are that we have already lost that vote," he said.