National Unity Government negotiations between Likud and Labor hit a snag last night over the issue of the assignment of ministerial portfolios - with Prime Minister-elect Ariel Sharon unprepared to hand over the Finance Ministry to Labor. Negotiators meet again today in an effort to conclude the talks. This coming Monday, Labor\'s central committee will convene to vote on whether or not to join a Sharon-led government, as well as to approve the list of proposed Labor ministers in such a government. Meanwhile, Y-Net reports that the battle over the party leadership between former allies Chaim Ramon and Avraham Burg has intensified. Outgoing Communications Minister Binyamin Ben-Eliezer is the third self-declared candidate for the top Labor job.
After a short and dismal 18-month stint on the Israeli political scene, the Centrist party has decided to disband. So reports today\'s edition of Ha\'aretz. MKs Dan Meridor and Roni Milo are presently \"leaning right\" and may return to the Likud, where they each started their political careers. MK Uri Savir, a behind- the-scenes architect of the Oslo process, and Dalia Rabin-Philosoph, the daughter of the late Yitzchak Rabin, appear headed for Labor. Former IDF Chief of Staff Amnon Lipkin-Shachak - who, in 1999, had his sights set on the Prime Minister, but who had to settle for a minor portfolio in the Barak government - said recently that he would likely retire from political life.
After a short and dismal 18-month stint on the Israeli political scene, the Centrist party has decided to disband. So reports today\'s edition of Ha\'aretz. MKs Dan Meridor and Roni Milo are presently \"leaning right\" and may return to the Likud, where they each started their political careers. MK Uri Savir, a behind- the-scenes architect of the Oslo process, and Dalia Rabin-Philosoph, the daughter of the late Yitzchak Rabin, appear headed for Labor. Former IDF Chief of Staff Amnon Lipkin-Shachak - who, in 1999, had his sights set on the Prime Minister, but who had to settle for a minor portfolio in the Barak government - said recently that he would likely retire from political life.