A prominent politician from the moderate Labor Party joined Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's new party Wednesday, the first such defection, adding impetus to a movement that could break a decades-long electoral stalemate over peace policies. The move by Cabinet minister without portfolio Haim Ramon came hours after President Moshe Katsav signed a decree for the dissolution of Parliament, paving the way for a general election on March 28. For procedural reasons, the order will only take effect on December 8. Sharon will stay on as prime minister until elections and should have a free hand to change his Cabinet before then. Turning away from the Labor Party, Ramon said he decided on his move after representing the dovish party for 23 years in Parliament because "there must be a party in the center which reflects the views of the majority of Israelis."Sharon's former colleagues in Likud were meanwhile gearing up for their own leadership primary on December 19 with a bout of mud-slinging. Former Premier Benjamin Netanyahu is the clear favorite but one of his challengers, Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz, lambasted him for disregarding the impoverished victims of his right-wing policies when he was finance minister. "I don't think he has ever suffered from want in his entire life, and so the matter of poverty and compassion is far from his heart and also from his policy," Mofaz told army radio.
Ramon also took the opportunity to open fire on new Labor leader Amir Peretz. Ramon disparaged Peretz as inexperienced, since he has never served as a Cabinet minister. Peretz "has good intentions, but these paths lead to hell," said Ramon, "and if we would have adopted them, then we would still be in Gaza." Ramon said he supported Sharon from the day he presented his plan to pull out of Gaza and part of the West Bank, a task he completed in September.