Shut up already: Prime Minister Ariel Sharon on Thursday lashed out at two of his most senior ministers, Finance Minister Ehud Olmert and Justice Minister Tzipi Livni, after leaks in the media that the two are battling for the number two spot on the Kadima parliamentary list for the March 28 general elections.
Three days after his release from a Jerusalem hospital after suffering a minor stroke, the prime minister summoned Olmert and Livni to his official residence in Jerusalem and ordered the two preoccupy themselves with “more important” issues facing the new faction.
Sharon aides quoted the prime minister as telling Olmert and Livni “to shut their mouths,” reassuring them that Kadima’s list of Knesset candidates has not been drawn.
Is Dichter headed for Defense Ministry?
In the meantime, Kadima members await the return from the United States of former Shin Bet Director Avi Dichter, who is expected to join Kadima. A meeting between Sharon and Dichter has been arranged for early next week after which Dichter’s membership in Kadima will apparently be made public in a joint news conference.
Kadima officials have reportedly promised Dichter the Defense portfolio should he join Sharon, yet the recent defection of Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz from Likud to Kadima obscured the party’s lineup for the next government if Sharon wins the general elections and a third term at the country’s helm.
While Sharon seems to be inclined to make a last minute announcement of his parliamentary list, Kadima sources who spoke with Dichter said the former Shin Bet chief has expressed gratitude over Mofaz’s defection to Kadima and is little concerned about his position on the list.