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| Middle East |
| Sharon forges Israeli coalition |
| 2003-02-24 |
| Israel's centre-right secular Shinui party has joined Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's Likud party in a coalition. The move gives Mr Sharon a slim majority in parliament that will allow him to form a government, a spokesman for the prime minister said. Mr Sharon's agreement with Shinui comes a day after the far-right National Religious Party also joined the government. The moves sank any possibility of a national unity coalition with the centre-left Labour Party, which opposed the inclusion of the NRP - the voice of the settler movement. That keeps Peres out of the government... In the wake of last month's general election, Mr Sharon had sought a wide coalition to include Labour. But the two parties disagreed fundamentally on how to deal with the Palestinian uprising, or intifada. The coalition gives Mr Sharon a one-seat majority in the 120-member Knesset. GOVERNMENT SEATSMr Sharon is expected to present his government for parliamentary approval on Thursday. The coalition marks the first time that ultra-Orthodox parties - the traditional kingmakers of Israeli politics - are not part of a Likud government. That's a really slim majority, but I think it's a good thing that the ulta-Orthodox aren't making kings, at least for awhile... The spiritual leader of the ultra-Orthodox Shas Party, Rabbi Ovadia Yosef, angrily referred to Mr Sharon as the "prime minister of garbage cans", Israel Radio reported. My! Aren't these grapes sour! |
| Posted by:Fred Pruitt |