An anti-unity government group of Labor government Ministers and MKs met this morning at the office of Foreign Minister Shlomo Ben-Ami. They sharply attacked the party\'s apparent decision in favor of joining the government. Ben-Ami said, \"The claim that they are joining in order to \'supervise over Sharon and make sure he does not make mistakes\' is the old and nauseating Mapai-style arrogance. [Mapai is the forerunner of the present-day Labor party.] The nation sent us to the opposition and apparently thinks that Sharon is a responsible man, so why do some Labor members feel that they know better?\"
Among those attending the meeting in Ben-Ami\'s office were Ministers Yossi Beilin and Yuli Tamir, as well as MKs Avi Yechezkel, Yael Dayan, Ophir Pines, Collette Avital, and Labor member Yuval Frankel. Beilin said that if Labor joins the unity government, the party would fall apart. He has said in the past that he would quit the party if it joins a national-unity government.
The number of Labor party candidates for Defense Minister has now risen to five: former Defense Minister Shimon Peres, former IDF General Binyamin Ben-Eliezer, Deputy Defense Minister Ephraim Sneh, former IDF Deputy Chief of Staff Matan Vilnai, and Interior Minister Chaim Ramon. Although some Laborites are in favor of trading the Defense Ministry post for Finance, it appears that the majority is against. If Peres is appointed Defense Minister, Avraham Burg - who is running for party leader - will make a bid to become Foreign Minister.
Labor withdrew its objections last night to the appointment of MKs Rehavam Ze\'evi and Avigdor Lieberman - both of National Union-Yisrael Beiteinu - as ministers in Ariel Sharon\'s government. The decision - Likud MK Ruby Rivlin called it a \"cave-in\" - came a day after Sharon announced that they would in fact be appointed. Rivlin surprised Arutz-7\'s Haggai Segal today by saying that although he was interested in becoming Justice Minister, he may end up benefiting from the dispute over the Interior Ministry between Yisrael B\'Aliyah and Shas, and serve there instead.
Among those attending the meeting in Ben-Ami\'s office were Ministers Yossi Beilin and Yuli Tamir, as well as MKs Avi Yechezkel, Yael Dayan, Ophir Pines, Collette Avital, and Labor member Yuval Frankel. Beilin said that if Labor joins the unity government, the party would fall apart. He has said in the past that he would quit the party if it joins a national-unity government.
The number of Labor party candidates for Defense Minister has now risen to five: former Defense Minister Shimon Peres, former IDF General Binyamin Ben-Eliezer, Deputy Defense Minister Ephraim Sneh, former IDF Deputy Chief of Staff Matan Vilnai, and Interior Minister Chaim Ramon. Although some Laborites are in favor of trading the Defense Ministry post for Finance, it appears that the majority is against. If Peres is appointed Defense Minister, Avraham Burg - who is running for party leader - will make a bid to become Foreign Minister.
Labor withdrew its objections last night to the appointment of MKs Rehavam Ze\'evi and Avigdor Lieberman - both of National Union-Yisrael Beiteinu - as ministers in Ariel Sharon\'s government. The decision - Likud MK Ruby Rivlin called it a \"cave-in\" - came a day after Sharon announced that they would in fact be appointed. Rivlin surprised Arutz-7\'s Haggai Segal today by saying that although he was interested in becoming Justice Minister, he may end up benefiting from the dispute over the Interior Ministry between Yisrael B\'Aliyah and Shas, and serve there instead.