Prime Minister-elect Ariel Sharon, in an official statement this morning, expressed sorrow over the decision by Ehud Barak to resign from politics. Barak had blamed Sharon in his parting letter last night for \"mixing in\" internal Labor matters, for implying that he would not mind if Shimon Peres were Defense Minister, and for expecting him [Barak] to merely take orders from the Prime Minister. Likud MK Silvan Shalom said this morning that it would not be reasonable to expect the Prime Minister, elected by such a wide margin, not to be the one to determine defense policy.
Barak\'s resignation apparently paves the way for a national unity government. He had been the target of intense criticism, both within and without Labor, for his prior decision not to fulfill his post-defeat promise to resign and to accept the Defense Ministry instead. It is still unclear who will be the Ministers from Labor, and how this question will be decided. Candidates for Defense Minister - if Labor chooses that post over the Finance Ministry - include Binyamin Ben-Eliezer and Amnon Lipkin-Shachak.
Barak\'s resignation apparently paves the way for a national unity government. He had been the target of intense criticism, both within and without Labor, for his prior decision not to fulfill his post-defeat promise to resign and to accept the Defense Ministry instead. It is still unclear who will be the Ministers from Labor, and how this question will be decided. Candidates for Defense Minister - if Labor chooses that post over the Finance Ministry - include Binyamin Ben-Eliezer and Amnon Lipkin-Shachak.