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By John Ward Anderson
Washington Post Foreign Service
Wednesday, February 26, 2003; 3:42 PM
JERUSALEM, Feb. 26-Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, whose tough approach toward Palestinian violence was strongly backed by Israeli voters in his landslide reelection last month, formed a new government coalition today that leans heavily on nationalist parties that oppose a Palestinian state and favor expanding Jewish settlements.
The political makeup of the coalition, which gives Sharon 68 of the parliament's 120 seats, seemed to dim prospects for any early resumption of peace negotiations with the Palestinians aimed at ending the bloody uprising that has been grinding away here since September 2000 with a loss of about 2,000 Palestinian and 700 Israeli lives.
Sharon had said he wanted a broad-based "national unity" government as Israel confronts the Palestinian uprising and danger raised by a possible U.S. attack on Iraq. But the Labor Party, the second-largest in parliament, spurned Sharon's offer to join the government, leading him to make pacts with three other parties to claim a majority.
"Once Sharon gave up on the Labor party, he gave up on the peace process for the near future," said Gadi Wolsfeld, a political scientist at Jerusalem's Hebrew University. "I think what Sharon learned in the last 20 years is how to talk in a way that pleases the Israeli center and the American administration, yet continue with the same policy," he added, describing the policy as "settle, settle and settle."
Sharon sent a letter to President Moshe Katsav announcing that he had formed a government, which was expected to be sworn in Thursday. In addition to Sharon's own Likud Party, with 40 seats, the coalition embraces the stridently secular Shinui Party, with 15 seats; the pro-settlement National Religious Party, with six seats; and the ultra-nationalist National Union party, with seven seats.
Thirteen of the 68 seats thus belong to a pair of parties that adamantly oppose an independent Palestinian state and are long-time champions of expanding Jewish settlements in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, two issues that have fueled the uprising.
Foreign diplomats consider that creating a Palestinian state, stopping Jewish settlement expansion and eventually vacating existing settlements would be elements in any ceasefire and negotiated peace deal. They are part of a U.S.-sponsored peace plan, called the "Road Map," that Sharon has pledged to support, although with many changes. The plan is being pushed by a group known as the Quartet, comprising the United States, Russia, the European Union and the United Nations, but has been languishing for months.
"It looks like it's a right wing government, not a government that's willing to seriously tackle issues like settlements and meeting the Palestinians half way," said a diplomat from one of the Quartet members.
Saeb Erekat, the Palestinian Authority's chief negotiator with the Israelis, said, "It's a settler's government. It means we don't have a road map, we don't have a peace process. We will have a lot of settlement expansion and land confiscation and Israeli military activity."
A senior official close to Sharon who asked not to be identified said the new government will be well-suited to tackle what he described as Israel's "most pressing issue, the economy." But at the same time, he said, "There are great hopes for the political process" to end the conflict with the Palestinians.
In forging a new coalition, Sharon not only had to negotiate with other parties and their leaders over the government's guidelines, but also over cabinet positions. Foreign Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who challenged Sharon for leadership of the Likud in an occasionally nasty primary campaign last year, will be replaced by the current finance minister, Silvan Shalom.
Netanyahu previously had said that he would not serve in any other cabinet post, but he reportedly was considering Sharon's offer that he become finance minister.
© 2003 The Washington Post Company
Washington Post Foreign Service
Wednesday, February 26, 2003; 3:42 PM
JERUSALEM, Feb. 26-Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, whose tough approach toward Palestinian violence was strongly backed by Israeli voters in his landslide reelection last month, formed a new government coalition today that leans heavily on nationalist parties that oppose a Palestinian state and favor expanding Jewish settlements.
The political makeup of the coalition, which gives Sharon 68 of the parliament's 120 seats, seemed to dim prospects for any early resumption of peace negotiations with the Palestinians aimed at ending the bloody uprising that has been grinding away here since September 2000 with a loss of about 2,000 Palestinian and 700 Israeli lives.
Sharon had said he wanted a broad-based "national unity" government as Israel confronts the Palestinian uprising and danger raised by a possible U.S. attack on Iraq. But the Labor Party, the second-largest in parliament, spurned Sharon's offer to join the government, leading him to make pacts with three other parties to claim a majority.
"Once Sharon gave up on the Labor party, he gave up on the peace process for the near future," said Gadi Wolsfeld, a political scientist at Jerusalem's Hebrew University. "I think what Sharon learned in the last 20 years is how to talk in a way that pleases the Israeli center and the American administration, yet continue with the same policy," he added, describing the policy as "settle, settle and settle."
Sharon sent a letter to President Moshe Katsav announcing that he had formed a government, which was expected to be sworn in Thursday. In addition to Sharon's own Likud Party, with 40 seats, the coalition embraces the stridently secular Shinui Party, with 15 seats; the pro-settlement National Religious Party, with six seats; and the ultra-nationalist National Union party, with seven seats.
Thirteen of the 68 seats thus belong to a pair of parties that adamantly oppose an independent Palestinian state and are long-time champions of expanding Jewish settlements in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, two issues that have fueled the uprising.
Foreign diplomats consider that creating a Palestinian state, stopping Jewish settlement expansion and eventually vacating existing settlements would be elements in any ceasefire and negotiated peace deal. They are part of a U.S.-sponsored peace plan, called the "Road Map," that Sharon has pledged to support, although with many changes. The plan is being pushed by a group known as the Quartet, comprising the United States, Russia, the European Union and the United Nations, but has been languishing for months.
"It looks like it's a right wing government, not a government that's willing to seriously tackle issues like settlements and meeting the Palestinians half way," said a diplomat from one of the Quartet members.
Saeb Erekat, the Palestinian Authority's chief negotiator with the Israelis, said, "It's a settler's government. It means we don't have a road map, we don't have a peace process. We will have a lot of settlement expansion and land confiscation and Israeli military activity."
A senior official close to Sharon who asked not to be identified said the new government will be well-suited to tackle what he described as Israel's "most pressing issue, the economy." But at the same time, he said, "There are great hopes for the political process" to end the conflict with the Palestinians.
In forging a new coalition, Sharon not only had to negotiate with other parties and their leaders over the government's guidelines, but also over cabinet positions. Foreign Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who challenged Sharon for leadership of the Likud in an occasionally nasty primary campaign last year, will be replaced by the current finance minister, Silvan Shalom.
Netanyahu previously had said that he would not serve in any other cabinet post, but he reportedly was considering Sharon's offer that he become finance minister.
© 2003 The Washington Post Company
Why is it politically unacceptable? Is it because the settlers wield that much political power? Or is it because the settlements are viewed as "bargaining chips" and to unilaterally give them up would be foolish?
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