| In a Surprise, Sharon Ousts Netanyahu By GREG MYRE JERUSALEM, Feb. 26 — In a move that caught almost everyone by surprise, Prime Minister Ariel Sharon dealt a quick political blow to Benjamin Netanyahu today by ousting him as foreign minister. After signing up a far-right party to his proposed government, Mr. Sharon offered the foreign ministry to the outgoing finance minister, Silvan Shalom, and asked Mr. Netanyahu to take over from Mr. Shalom. Advertisement Mr. Netanyahu, who was brought into the government last November, in effect to neutralize him in the competition with Mr. Sharon for leadership of the rightist Likud Party, refused the offer. Mr. Sharon and Mr. Netanyahu, a former prime minister, have sometimes been political allies, but more often rivals. Now, with the elections past him, Mr. Sharon chose to drop the combative Mr. Netanyahu in favor of Mr. Shalom, who has virtually no experience in foreign affairs, but is seen as a Sharon loyalist. Mr. Sharon gave the finance ministry job to a fellow Likud member, Ehud Olmert, the recently resigned mayor of Jerusalem, and keep Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz in his post. Earlier today Mr. Sharon signed up the far-right National Union to his proposed government, a move that would increase his parliamentary majority and add to the hawkish complexion of his coalition. The National Union, which adamantly opposes the creation of a Palestinian state, reached the agreement to join the coalition after negotiations that lasted late into the night, according to a statement by Likud. With the National Union's 7 seats, Mr. Sharon's emerging government would control 68 of the 120 seats in Parliament. Mr. Sharon, whose party dominated elections last month, intends to present his new government to Parliament for formal approval on Thursday, his aides say. The prime minister said he wanted a broad national unity government, but all four parties in the coalition favor a tough line with the Palestinians in the current conflict. The National Religious Party, which favors expanding settlements, and the secularist Shinui Party are the other proposed coalition members. The National Union is the most extreme of the four. Party leaders have called for ousting Yasir Arafat, the Palestinian leader, and expelling Palestinians from the West Bank and the Gaza Strip and annexing the land to Israel. Until Tuesday, the party had been hesitant to join the coalition, citing a speech by Mr. Sharon in December in which he said he could envision a demilitarized Palestinian state in parts of the West Bank and Gaza. The prime minister's outline falls far short of Palestinian demands, and Mr. Sharon has emphasized that no peace negotiations will resume until the Mideast violence ends. |
The Case Agianst Israel's Enemies by Alan Dershowitz 
Coming from England and particularly from the BBC, MUST BE SEEN VIDEO! ANOTHER MUST SEE VIDEO |