Likud MK Not Afraid of Sharon´s Ultimatum

Israel National News ^ | 14:10 Aug 27, '04 / 10 Elul 5764

[yonif]

Prime Minister Ariel Sharon - facing a stalemate of sorts in his bid to widen the government coalition - is about to issue an ultimatum to his fellow Likud MKs: disengagement now, or early elections. So reports the Yediot Acharonot newspaper.

The Prime Minister thus feels that he can force his party colleagues to vote for the disengagement by threatening them with new elections - which they are likely to fear might cost some of them their Knesset seats. Together with the votes of opposition parties, Sharon thus feels that he will have a majority for his expulsion plan.

MK Ehud Yatom, one of the Likud "rebels," told Arutz-7 today, "If this is the ultimatum, then I choose new elections; the Land of Israel is more important than my seat in the Knesset."

Sharon currently heads a government that numbers, for all intents and purposes, only 58 MKs (out of 120) - and even they cannot be counted on. The 58 include 40 of the Likud, many of whom oppose his disengagement/expulsion plan, as well as 14 of Shinui (not including former Minister Yosef Paritzky, who has not been seen in the Knesset since he was fired in disgrace several weeks ago, and four of the six MKs of the National Religious Party.

Sharon's attempts to expand the coalition by bringing in Labor were thwarted by the Likud's Central Committee last week, and coalition talks with hareidi parties have been going nowhere in light of the continued presence of the anti-religious Shinui party in the government.