Israel's hawkish opposition leader Ariel Sharon vowed on Tuesday to topple the government of Prime Minister Ehud Barak after the collapse of talks on a political alliance to deal with the tide of deadly violence in the Palestinian territories.
"We are going to do everything to bring down the government," Sharon, chairman of the right-wing Likud bloc, told public radio.
"The prime minister's credibility is in doubt because he has snubbed the state of Israel by refusing to promote the unity of the Jewish people, which is vital to confront the war of attrition waged by (Palestinian leader) Yasser Arafat."
Barak's political future has been on a knife-edge since a mass walkout of religious and right-wing parties from his Labor-led coalition in July, leaving him with a government of just 30 MPs in the 120-member Knesset.
But after failing to agree with Sharon on forming a national emergency government, Barak's political skin was saved Monday by the ultra-Orthodox Jewish Shas party -- one of those that bolted in July on the eve of the Camp David peace summit.
Negotiations with Likud stumbled over Sharon's demand for a veto on peace and security matters, particularly any resumption of negotiations with the Palestinians, which Barak postponed indefinitely last week because of the Palestinian uprising that has claimed the lives of more than 150 people.
The Palestinians have warned that the inclusion of Sharon, whom they blame for sparking the current wave of violence by his provocative visit to a disputed east Jerusalem holy place on September 28, would mean the end of the peace process.
Sharon is also reviled by Arabs for the 1982 massacre of Palestinian refugees in Lebanon, carried out by pro-Israeli militias while Sharon was defense minister.
On Monday, Shas, the third largest party in parliament with 17 seats, signed an agreement with Barak's Labour party not to try to topple the government for at least one month.
But Shas chief Eli Yishai warned Tuesday that his party's support was not guaranteed.
"We will immediately withdraw the four-week safety net we have granted the prime minister if he goes to the United States to resume negotiations on the basis of the Camp David arrangements," Yishai told public radio.
The summit broke down over the key issue of control over east Jerusalem and its holy sites, although press reports here say Barak was prepared to give the Palestinians shared sovereignty over some areas and withdraw from most of the West Bank – JERUSALEM (AFP)
© 2000 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
