Israel's Labor Party Votes to Pull Out (of Sharon's coalition gov't)

[meganmonkey]

JERUSALEM (AP) - Israel's dovish Labor Party voted Sunday to pull out of Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's coalition government, virtually assuring early general elections in March.

The decision came in a show of hands at a Labor Party convention in Tel Aviv following the wishes of the new party leader, Amir Peretz, who collected letters of resignation from Labor Cabinet ministers last week.

---snip---

Peretz, a fiery union leader, charged that Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's government had deepened poverty and ``humiliated'' the poor and immigrants.

He called on lower-class voters from Sharon's Likud to switch to Labor.

``Come join the new social pact,'' he said. ``You are not abandoning Likud. Likud has abandoned you.''



more...

http://www.guardian.co.uk/worldlatest/story/0,1280,-5427899,00.html

[mrdmk]

1. What this article does not mention is that Ariel Sharon son, Omri Sharon

just pleaded guilty to election fraud (sound familiar), also did not mention that Ariel Sharon was being investigated on the same charges.

http://www.cnn.com/2005/WORLD/meast/11/15/omri.sharon/


<snip>
Ariel Sharon's two terms as prime minister have been marred by scandals over shady campaign financing and real estate deals, but the prime minister himself has escaped indictment.

Omri Sharon is a member of the Israeli parliament. He has waived his parliamentary immunity to face the corruption charges.
<end of snip>
link
http://web.israelinsider.com/Articles/Politics/7031.htm

[K-W]

2. The new direction of the labor party is exciting. EOM

[IndianaGreen]

3. The next step is for Sharon to decide what to do about Likud

Sharon's main Likud rival, Bibi Netanyahu, is a Reagan clone that would privatize or do away with social services. Bibi is more popular than Sharon among Likud members on the basis of his imperialist views. Sharon might bolt out of the Likud and form his own party and put himself as the more moderate candidate in a 3-way race against Peretz and Bibi.

[bemildred]

4. Ohhhh, Peretz is "fiery" now.

How soon will he be a "militant leftist"?
Can "anti-American" and "extremist" be far behind?

[meganmonkey]

5. Mmm hmmm....

I also find it interesting that the party is referred to as 'dovish' while he is called 'fiery'. Maybe the media are just trying to keep their options open until they decide how to frame him :shrug:

[bemildred]

6. Good point. They are garbling their metaphors there.

Somebody needs to send a memo around.

[Behind the Aegis]

8. hmmm...

Cannot a pro-peace person (dovish) be passionate (fiery)?

[bemildred]

9. You can call anybody anything you want.

And others are free to criticize the name calling.
They would do better to skip the labels altogether, IMHO,
no "dovish" and no "fiery", both are bullshit.
But that's just my opinion, you understand.

[mrdmk]

7. The NYT just rolled in with an article

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/11/21/international/middleeast/21mideast.html?pagewanted=1