Sharon's leadership in crisis as Likud rejects settler plan

[Scro]

Ariel Sharon's political obituary was being written yesterday as opponents in Labour and his own Likud party turned their backs on the embattled Prime Minister, putting his plan for a staged withdrawal of settlers from the West Bank and Gaza Strip in jeopardy.

The Labour leader, Shimon Peres, called for a general election, suggesting that Mr Sharon was too weakened by the revolt of his Likud party to close a deal with the main centre-left opposition and form a government strong enough to implement the withdrawal.

"We cannot entrust the fate of Israel to the hands of 800 to 900 people , when we see that a majority of the country unequivocally support disengagement and the dismantling of settlements," Mr Peres said. "Therefore the opinion of the Labour Party today is to call for new elections and allow the people to decide."

Mr Sharon, buoyed by a Supreme Court decision not to prosecute over corruption allegations that had been hanging over him and his son, vowed to fight on with his disengagement plans, promising to assemble the "broad and stable" government he needs to succeed.

http://news.independent.co.uk/world/middle_east/story.jsp?story=553281

[bemildred]

1. "Sharon's leadership" is an oxymoron. nt

[IA_Seth]

2. Hope

Well, maybe with a special election "Hope will be on the way" in Israel as well as here in the US.

What are the chances of this actually happening?