Labor Crisis Puts Unity Government on Hold
It looked like smooth sailing, but the bid by Prime Minister-elect Ariel Sharon for a quick national unity government has run into rough waters due to sharp divisions within the Labor party over outgoing PM Ehud Barak’s decision to stay on as defense minister.
On Sunday night, Sharon urged Labor to overcome its internal bickerings and return to talks aimed at forming a unity coalition as soon as possible. The call came as some of Barak’s closest allies joined the barrage of opposition to his plans to serve in the defense post on Sharon’s cabinet.
A clear indication of Barak’s rapidly declining political fortunes came as Sharon made it clear that national unity was not conditional on the outgoing premier’s presence. As if to preface his statement, Sharon met with Barak rival Haim Ramon on Saturday at his Negev farm, to try to persuade him to join a unity coalition.
Barak delayed a meeting of Labor’s central committee for a third time Sunday to give himself more time to convince committee members to back him for defense minister, after major Labor leaders met over the weekend to plan to unite against Barak at the committee caucus, planned for Tuesday. Ramon, Foreign Minister Shlomo Ben-Ami, and Knesset Speaker Avraham Burg said they would support a separate list of ministers that excludes Barak. Ben-Ami, who has been one of Barak’s closest political allies, sent an angry letter to him on Friday, accusing Barak of failing blatantly at leadership.
Another obstacle emerged when Labor’s legal review board ruled Sunday that Barak – the party’s outgoing chairman – lacks the authority to select ministers for the emerging unity government.
Negotiations ran into further difficulties Monday, with aides on both sides blaming each other for creating obstacles in an attempt to stall progress, ARMY RADIO reported.
Sharon reiterated Sunday night that he wants as wide a government as possible, but Likud whip Reuven Rivlin said that the prime minister-elect has not ruled out the possibility of forming a narrow government if Labor does not comply by the end of the week.
Sharon’s statement came as religious parties made new threats not to join the government unless Sharon makes new commitments regarding draft deferments for yeshiva students. Furthermore, the National Religious Party, along with the YESHA Council, voiced security concerns, telling Sharon that Barak “will not restore the Israel Defense Forces’ deterrent capacity.”
Labor MK Weizmann Shiri, Barak’s closest associate, and Labor secretary-general Ra’anan Cohen said that there is still a chance Barak might not join the government, if Sharon grants the requests of religious and nationalistic parties.
Former president Ezer Weizman, Burg, Absorption Minister Yuli Tamir, Barak aide Yuval Frenkel, and the Labor Youth Association added their voices to a long list calling on Barak to “go home.” Three leading Labor mayors – those of Tel Aviv, Haifa and Be’er Sheva – have refused to sign a petition supporting the appointment of Barak as defense minister. Numerous other Labor mayors have also declined to sign.
“Sharon is asking Barak and [Shimon] Peres to provide cover and act as a fig leaf for him, and this is very dangerous for [Labor],” said Tamir, who tirelessly defended Barak during his tumultuous final months in power.
Even Labor elder Peres, who has been a strong backer of forming a national unity government, said he feels its chances are diminishing.
Those in Labor wanting to block Barak’s appointment are trying to ensure that a secret vote be held when the central committee finally meets, and if so, who should be on the list of ministers. Barak’s opponents in the party fear that if the ballot is not secret, some party members will be afraid to oppose him publicly.
A compromise measure is expected to include separating votes on approval for joining the government and approving Barak’s list of candidates for portfolios.
In another effort to block Barak, Ramon and Burg plan to submit an alteration to Labor’s constitution, which will allow the new leader of the party to switch the ministers in a unity government. This correction would enable such a new leader – possibly Burg or Ramon – to oust Barak.
Responding to all the commotion, Barak stressed that his unity arrangement with Sharon “reflects a widely felt public desire, and is a matter of national, public and personal responsibility.” Alluding to Ben-Ami’s acquaintance with state secrets, Barak said that the foreign minister ought to understand that it is imperative that experienced leaders now have control of the reins of power.
Meanwhile, several hundred members of the Likud Central Committee gathered at party headquarters in Tel Aviv Sunday night to declare their support for a national unity government which does not include Barak. MK Yisrael Katz, who organized the event, called on Sharon to bring the coalition agreement to the committee for approval.
Some at the rally called for Likud MK Moshe Arens to be given the Defense Ministry. Other protesters went further, demanding that former prime minister Binyamin Netanyahu be given the Foreign Ministry instead of Peres.
Sharon phoned Netanyahu in the US on Friday and asked him to join the government. However, when the prime minister-elect told Netanyahu he could not offer him the Foreign Ministry, which has been promised to Labor, Netanyahu declined. Netanyahu also cautioned in recent days that Sharon’s government “will fall within three months,”
The majority of Labor MKs believe that it would be more beneficial for the party to receive social and economic related ministries, as opposed to defense or foreign affairs. Of the top three available cabinet positions, the preference was for finance, as a way to involve the party in social issues and rehabilitate its battered image.
Used with Permission from International Christian Embassy Jerusalem.