Likud MK Gideon Saar directed a call this morning not to the voters, but to the nationalist camp parties. He said they must commit themselves to refuse to join a Kadima/Olmert-led government. "We can't allow another situation in which right-wing voters help a left-wing government to arise," Saar said.
"I call upon all the nationalist camp parties," Saar added, "and especially Yisrael Beiteinu and Shas, to declare unambiguously that they will not join a government led by Ehud Olmert, now that he has made clear his plans for further disengagements."
" We can no longer hold the stick by both ends," MK Saar said. "The parties' positions must be made clear."
Saar's demand that Shas and Yisrael Beiteinu pledge not to join a Kadima government has not yet been met. Neither Shas leader Eli Yeshai nor Yisrael Beiteinu leader Avigdor Lieberman are willing to say categorically that they will not join a Kadima-led government. Yeshai said today that everything will look different the day after the election, and Lieberman said only that he objects to unilateral withdrawals that give Israel nothing in return.
Even within the Likud, however, there is no consensus. Silvan Shalom, who is seeking to succeed Netanyahu as party chairman if the Likud does poorly in the election, said this morning, "I do not rule out sitting together with Kadima; it all depends on the government's guidelines." Shalom also said, however, that it is too early to assume that Kadima will form the next government: "If the entire nationalist camp unites, it is possible that the President will entrust Likud chairman Netanyahu with the job of forming the next government."
The Likud and the nationalist camp parties are waging double campaigns - both to increase their own share of the right-wing vote, and to increase the share of the right-wing in general. The Likud is aware that its chances of forming a government lie only with the smaller nationalist camp parties; neither Labor nor Kadima intend to join a government led by Binyamin Netanyahu. The nationalist camp strategy, therefore, is to attain enough Knesset seats such that a left-wing government cannot be formed.
Netanyahu, who has widely been both criticized and praised for the economic plan he implemented as Finance Minister in the outgoing government, makes sure to blame/praise Ariel Sharon for these policies. In a speech this morning at the Globes Conference for Small Businesses in Tel Aviv, Netanyahu said, "I led my economic plan with the support of Ariel Sharon. I had disputes with him on other important matters, but in this area, we worked together."
The Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS) released its estimate of eligible voters for the upcoming elections, showing an increase of some 200,000 over the last election three years ago. The total number of voters is some 4.5 million, 4.6% more than in 2003. Another half-million voters are officially eligible to vote, but they do not currently live in Israel.
The CBS stats show that 83% of the voters are Jewish, and 13% are Arab.
"I call upon all the nationalist camp parties," Saar added, "and especially Yisrael Beiteinu and Shas, to declare unambiguously that they will not join a government led by Ehud Olmert, now that he has made clear his plans for further disengagements."
" We can no longer hold the stick by both ends," MK Saar said. "The parties' positions must be made clear."
Saar's demand that Shas and Yisrael Beiteinu pledge not to join a Kadima government has not yet been met. Neither Shas leader Eli Yeshai nor Yisrael Beiteinu leader Avigdor Lieberman are willing to say categorically that they will not join a Kadima-led government. Yeshai said today that everything will look different the day after the election, and Lieberman said only that he objects to unilateral withdrawals that give Israel nothing in return.
Even within the Likud, however, there is no consensus. Silvan Shalom, who is seeking to succeed Netanyahu as party chairman if the Likud does poorly in the election, said this morning, "I do not rule out sitting together with Kadima; it all depends on the government's guidelines." Shalom also said, however, that it is too early to assume that Kadima will form the next government: "If the entire nationalist camp unites, it is possible that the President will entrust Likud chairman Netanyahu with the job of forming the next government."
The Likud and the nationalist camp parties are waging double campaigns - both to increase their own share of the right-wing vote, and to increase the share of the right-wing in general. The Likud is aware that its chances of forming a government lie only with the smaller nationalist camp parties; neither Labor nor Kadima intend to join a government led by Binyamin Netanyahu. The nationalist camp strategy, therefore, is to attain enough Knesset seats such that a left-wing government cannot be formed.
Netanyahu, who has widely been both criticized and praised for the economic plan he implemented as Finance Minister in the outgoing government, makes sure to blame/praise Ariel Sharon for these policies. In a speech this morning at the Globes Conference for Small Businesses in Tel Aviv, Netanyahu said, "I led my economic plan with the support of Ariel Sharon. I had disputes with him on other important matters, but in this area, we worked together."
The Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS) released its estimate of eligible voters for the upcoming elections, showing an increase of some 200,000 over the last election three years ago. The total number of voters is some 4.5 million, 4.6% more than in 2003. Another half-million voters are officially eligible to vote, but they do not currently live in Israel.
The CBS stats show that 83% of the voters are Jewish, and 13% are Arab.