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Sharon Still Wants Talks for Emergency Coalition
Ariel Sharon, head of Israel's major opposition party Likud, said November 29 he still wanted to talk with Prime Minister Ehud Barak on forming an emergency coalition after Barak agreed Tuesday night to hold new elections.
In an interview with Israel's Army Radio, Sharon said he hoped to explore the possibility to unite with Barak despite the failure of several similar attempts in the past weeks, including the one before Tuesday's crucial vote.
Barak decided to agree to an early election mainly under the pressure of the Likud's bills, which called for dissolving the Knesset (parliament) and holding general elections ahead of schedule. The bills passed its first reading with a comfortable margin in the parliament late Tuesday night, but it must pass two more votes before becoming law.
"The nation needs unity in order to reach peace," Sharon said.
The Israeli-Palestinian violence in the past two months have killed over 280 people and injured thousands more, mostly Palestinians.
Sharon has been blamed by the Palestinians for triggering the bloody clashes by his provocative visit to a disputed shrine in East Jerusalem on September 28.
The right-wing politician now said he waits for an invitation from Barak for resuming coalition talks.
Analysts pointed out that in the current situation, a Barak-Sharon cabinet is impossible because both leaders will pay high political price for the alliance.
Barak has little interest in accepting Sharon's precondition -- a veto power in the peace process -- for joining his cabinet. Several key members in Barak's coalition, including Justice Minister Yossi Beilin, opposed such an alliance, arguing it will taint Israel's international image because of Sharon's role in the current clashes.
Meanwhile, most of the Likud lawmakers strongly favor early elections. They want former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, instead of Sharon, to lead the party in the next general elections.
Netanyahu is currently in California, the United States, and will not return until Sunday. Any move by Sharon toward an emergency coalition will be interpreted as a maneuver to prevent Netanyahu from making a comeback to the leadership.
Analysts believe Sharon's statement on further talks was aimed to deflect Barak's criticisms that the opposition forced elections at a time of national crisis.
Barak told the Knesset Tuesday night, "The nation needs and wants a unity government. We are ready for any deal entailing cooperation, but not the right to veto...not with the abandonment of the current peace process."
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