Amir Peretz (right), Israel's Labour party leader, gestures as he is surrounded by supporters during the party's central committee convention in Tel Aviv on Sunday. Israel's Labour party voted on Sunday to quit Ariel Sharon's coalition ahead of early elections. The Prime Minister has abandoned his own Likud party to form another party. - REUTERS
JERUSALEM (Reuters):
PRIME MINISTER Ariel Sharon quit his right-wing Likud yesterday to lead a new centrist party into early national elections, taking a gamble likely to reshape Israeli politics for years to come.
Sharon's decision, hours after he asked President Moshe Katsav to dissolve Parliament and order elections, could free him of far-right constraints in pursuing an end to conflict with the Palestinians.
But opinion polls said the success of a Sharon-led centrist party was uncertain, and the 77-year-old former general could face an uphill battle against more established factions in elections, likely to take place in March.
NO SIGN OF SOFTENING
While confidants spoke of blazing a path towards peace after a Gaza pullout completed in September, Sharon gave no sign of softening his policy towards the Palestinians while seeking to tap into mainstream support for the withdrawal.
"We do not have any (new peace) plans. I do not see any further disengagement," a spokesman quoted Sharon as saying in reference to the idea of unilateral withdrawals in the occupied West Bank.
"My policy will be to proceed with the 'road map' while at the same time fighting terrorism," the spokesman quoted Sharon as telling 11 Likud members who also jumped ship in the face of a party rebellion against him over the Gaza pullout. Many in Likud saw the Gaza pullout as a surrender to violence.
PEACE 'ROAD MAP'
The United-States-backed peace 'road map' calls for an end to violence and charts confidence-building steps towards the creation of a Palestinian state, including the disarming of Palestinian militants and an end to Jewish settlement expansion.
Sharon has said peace negotiations stalled by five years of bloodshed cannot resume until the Palestinian Authority forces militants to lay down their arms and dismantle militant groups.
On another front, the Lebanese guerrilla group Hizbollah raided army posts on Israel's northern border in what appeared to be a botched attempt to kidnap Israeli soldiers and swap them for jailed Palestinians.
At least three Hizbollah members and an Israeli died in the ensuing clashes, sources on both sides said.
PRESIDENTIAL CONSULTATIONS
In a terse letter to Likud's acting chairman, Sharon wrote: "I am resigning from the party and forming a new one."
In the West Bank city of Ramallah, Palestinian Deputy Prime Minster Nabil Shaath said the Palestinian leadership was "watching carefully the unfolding political developments to see its consequences on the peace process".
Katsav said he would begin consultations immediately with political leaders on holding elections not constitutionally required until November 2006, and would disclose his decision on Sharon's request soon.
Legislators later approved a preliminary vote to dissolve parliament by 84-0. If three other votes are approved, possibly on Tuesday, then an election is automatically held within 90 days and there is no need for Katsav to call it.
Sharon, who co-founded Likud three decades ago and was expected to launch the "National Responsibility" party at a news conference at 7:30 p.m. (1730 GMT).
Labour Party leader Amir Peretz said he favoured a March 28 poll. The fiery trade union chief's ouster of elder statesman Shimon Peres in a party vote on Nov. 10 and vow to pull out of Sharon's coalition touched off the political turmoil.
"We do not intend to win the elections by catching the Likud with its pants down. We want to win because we have a better platform and we bring something else to the equation," Peretz told reporters.
Katsav said Sharon told him the government could not function in the current climate, in which far-right Likud legislators have blocked cabinet appointments.
He must first examine whether any legislator can muster a parliamentary majority and form a new government. But Israeli political analysts said the chances were nil.
If Katsav dissolves parliament or if it votes to dissolve itself, Sharon would remain as interim prime minister until a new one is elected.
Likud's acting chairman, Tzachi Hanegbi, said the party would choose a leader quickly. Former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who quit as finance minister over the Gaza pullout, is a top contender.
Political analyst Gerald Steinberg said Sharon was in a strong position as "the only credible leader with a national base". But he added: "On the other hand this is totally new territory and third parties have not done well in the past."
Sharon has also been wooing Peres, 82.
Meir Ben-Shaul, a 63-year-old Jerusalem electrician who said he had voted for Likud in three elections, was unimpressed by the possibility of another Sharon-Peres partnership.
"They are two old people. They should go home and play with the children and grandchildren," Ben-Shaul told Reuters.
