Labor to resign, Sharon still debating
Labor Party Central Committee set to convene Sunday to approve party resignation from government; Sharon's political future unclear; Agriculture Minister Yisrael Katz announces candidacy for Likud leadership
The entire nation is waiting for Sharon’s decision on whether to stay in Likud or leave the ruling party in favor of a new party likely to change Israel’s political landscape.
Amid the uncertainties regarding the prime minister's political future, Agriculture Minister Yisrael Katz has announced his candidacy for Likud leadership, and senior party sources said Education Minister Limor Livnat also considers herself a candidate for party chairperson.
The two join Ministers Silvan Shalom and Shaul Mofaz and MKs Benjamin Netanyahu and Uzi Landau on the list of candidates; however, should the prime minister decide to remain in Likud, the list would most certainly shrink.
Landau said Sunday, “Should Ariel quit Likud, I will demand an emergency meeting of the Central Committee to hold primary elections for party leadership within days.”
He called on right-wing parties to join a Likud-led government he plans to form if elected.
The prime minister chose to spend the weekend at his residential home, the Sycamore Ranch in the southern Negev desert, far away from his political associates and from the cameras.
Most of Sharon’s close advisors have recommended he leave the Likud brand name behind and set out on a new road. Now, the prime minister is choosing to spend time with his sons, grandchildren, and other close relatives in order to weigh the options before him.
One of the prime minister's aides told Ynet he estimates that if Sharon will eventually decide to leave, 10 to 15 Likud MKs will join him. The aide said that in such a case, two of those who will leave "may surprise the political establishment," but refused to name them so as not to harm them.
Several senior labor members are also expected to join Sharon should he establish a new party.
Following Sunday's cabinet meeting, Sharon is expected to meet with opposition leaders; he is scheduled to meet with Likud faction members on Monday.
'Peres taking his time'
Sources within the Prime Minister's Office estimate Sharon will make his final decision within the next two days.
Sharon's political advisor Erez Halfon said he received over the weekend hundreds of telephone calls from Likud members throughout the country pleading for the prime minister to remain in the Likud and prevent Likud ‘rebels’ from taking part in the next Knesset.
The Labor party's Central Committee is set to convene in Tel Aviv Sunday in order to approve the party's resignation from the government.
The event will also serve as a gathering to mark Amir Peretz's election as Labor leader.
No surprises are expected during the event, except for the question of whether former party chairman Shimon Peres will participate.
"He is still taking time out and has not said if he will arrive or not," one source close to Peres said.
Officials estimate that Peres will decide to announce the end to his "time out" in coordination with Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's announcement regarding his own political future.
On Thursday, Peres said durng a Labor party assembly that he would do anything in order to prevent the establishment of a rightist-religious coalition after the coming elections.
"I do not want anything for myself, but I will work to assist the members who supported me," he said.
Likud and Labor negotiating teams are set to meet Sunday, in a bid to set a date for general elections. The most favorable dates at present are 21 or 28 March, times agreed upon by both Sharon and Peretz during a meeting between the two Thursday.
