Livnat comes out against Sharon
Et tu, Livnat? Education minister positions herself against the prime minister hours before fateful Likud Central Committee meeting
Hours before the Likud Central Committee gets underway, Education Ministry Limor Livnat has positioned herself alongside Benjamin Netanyahu and Uzi Landau, declaring her support for the bringing forward of Likud primaries.
"In recent weeks I have made many efforts to find a compromise date," said Livnat. "In light of recent developments, I call for the bringing forward of primaries in order to rehabilitate the Likud and unite the ranks. This way, in the next elections Likud can come to power as a stronger and more unified party."
Until now, Livnat has sat on the fence, and has attempted to initiate an agreed date for Likud primaries, which would ensure that all candidates would remain in the party, no matter what the outcome.
She has worked with Tzahi Hanegbi and Silvan Shalom on the 'compromise date,' but has become increasingly sympathetic to Netanyahu's stance, which demands that Sharon raise a glass to next year, and commit himself to remaining in the party.
"Livnat has tried to find a compromise more than once," one of her advisors, Yehoram Malca, told Ynet.
"Primaries are not good, but in light of the existing circumstances, in which the prime minister is not willing to say that he will remain in the Likud, she would like to bring forward the primaries, so that there will be enough time to recover.
By the time the Likud unifies and picks up the pieces, the elections will already be upon us.
Sharon is not ready to commit himself to accepting the voter's decision in any way – and that's why she wants to bring forward the elections."
Livnat has now joined Yisrael Katz and coalition chairman Gideon Sa'ar, who presented Sharon with an ultimatum challenging him to commit to remaining in the Likud even if he loses Monday's vote."
Most Likud ministers have, however, supported Sharon in the internal party struggle, and have said that there was no reason to bring forward the primaries as long as there was no set elections date.
The Likud Central Committee meeting will being in Tel Aviv Sunday afternoon, and is expected to be one of the most fateful events in the party's history. Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and leadership candidates Benjamin Netanyahu and Uzi Landau will address the meeting.
On Monday, party members will go to the polls to decide whether primaries should be brought forward by two months, as demanded by Landau and Netanyahu.
A loss for Sharon would result from his resignation from the party he founded, according to senior political sources, and the prime minister's own aides.
