Prime Minister Ariel Sharon departed from his nearly weeklong visit to the United States last night, and is scheduled to arrive this afternoon at 4 PM. He told reporters that rumors of his plans to leave the Likud if he loses in the upcoming party vote are groundless - but did not close the door totally on this eventuality. "I'm not worried, why are you worried?" he asked.
The Likud Central Committee is set to vote next week on whether or not to advance the party primaries. The primaries are currently scheduled for April 2006, but MKs Netanyahu and Landau wish to move them up to this coming November, so that they may sooner try to unseat the Prime Minister as party head. Sharon objects.
A large majority in favor of advancing the primaries seemed to be guaranteed just three weeks ago, but polls then began to show that the issue was still a toss-up. Surveys publicized just this morning show that the Netanyahu-Landau proposal has once again taken a lead, though a modest one. The poll appearing in Yediot Acharonot shows a 47%-45% lead for moving up the primaries, while in Maariv, Sharon loses by 48% to 42%
What will Sharon, who enjoys strong popularity in the international arena and in many sectors in Israel, do if he loses? He has said that he will not quit the Likud, but many indications exist to the contrary.
Channel Two television quoted an unnamed Knesset Member of the Likud last night as saying that Sharon told him and other party MKs, "If you don't want me, I'll leave." Sharon reportedly made the remarks at a meeting of Likud MKs before his trip to the U.S.
MK Roni Bar'on, a close confidante of Sharon, was asked to address the question of Sharon's future last night. Bar'on said, "I'll say like Sharon himself said: Never say never."
Another political ally of Sharon, Vice Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, said yesterday unambiguously that if Sharon forms a new party, he will join him.
MK Omri Sharon, son of the Prime Minister, also implied that all options are open. A leading Likud figure asked him why he uses such language, thus leaving the Likud members unclear as to the Prime Minister's intentions if he fails in the Central Committee. Sharon-the-son said that if this is the case, he will not use this language in the future.
In a very recent joint letter to the 3,000 Central Committee members, MKs Netanyahu and Landau accused Sharon of preparing to start a new party that will "steal votes from the Likud." The letter states,
"Following his speech in the UN, signs are increasing that Sharon is preparing a competing party so that he can quit the Likud as close as possible to the date of the national elections. It has been proven that breakaway parties do well in the polls when they first appear, but then drop in support in the months afterwards... This is why Sharon wants to stall for time in the Likud, so that he can quit as late as possible and only then to declare his new party - [so close to the elections that] it will not have time to drop in popularity. In this way he will steal more votes and Knesset seats from the Likud. But if he is forced to start his new party now, it will drop in popularity and the Knesset seats will remain in the Likud."
Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom, who accompanied Sharon on his trip to New York, phoned his supporters in Israel and instructed them to support Sharon's bid in not advancing the primaries.
The Likud Central Committee is set to vote next week on whether or not to advance the party primaries. The primaries are currently scheduled for April 2006, but MKs Netanyahu and Landau wish to move them up to this coming November, so that they may sooner try to unseat the Prime Minister as party head. Sharon objects.
A large majority in favor of advancing the primaries seemed to be guaranteed just three weeks ago, but polls then began to show that the issue was still a toss-up. Surveys publicized just this morning show that the Netanyahu-Landau proposal has once again taken a lead, though a modest one. The poll appearing in Yediot Acharonot shows a 47%-45% lead for moving up the primaries, while in Maariv, Sharon loses by 48% to 42%
What will Sharon, who enjoys strong popularity in the international arena and in many sectors in Israel, do if he loses? He has said that he will not quit the Likud, but many indications exist to the contrary.
Channel Two television quoted an unnamed Knesset Member of the Likud last night as saying that Sharon told him and other party MKs, "If you don't want me, I'll leave." Sharon reportedly made the remarks at a meeting of Likud MKs before his trip to the U.S.
MK Roni Bar'on, a close confidante of Sharon, was asked to address the question of Sharon's future last night. Bar'on said, "I'll say like Sharon himself said: Never say never."
Another political ally of Sharon, Vice Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, said yesterday unambiguously that if Sharon forms a new party, he will join him.
MK Omri Sharon, son of the Prime Minister, also implied that all options are open. A leading Likud figure asked him why he uses such language, thus leaving the Likud members unclear as to the Prime Minister's intentions if he fails in the Central Committee. Sharon-the-son said that if this is the case, he will not use this language in the future.
In a very recent joint letter to the 3,000 Central Committee members, MKs Netanyahu and Landau accused Sharon of preparing to start a new party that will "steal votes from the Likud." The letter states,
"Following his speech in the UN, signs are increasing that Sharon is preparing a competing party so that he can quit the Likud as close as possible to the date of the national elections. It has been proven that breakaway parties do well in the polls when they first appear, but then drop in support in the months afterwards... This is why Sharon wants to stall for time in the Likud, so that he can quit as late as possible and only then to declare his new party - [so close to the elections that] it will not have time to drop in popularity. In this way he will steal more votes and Knesset seats from the Likud. But if he is forced to start his new party now, it will drop in popularity and the Knesset seats will remain in the Likud."
Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom, who accompanied Sharon on his trip to New York, phoned his supporters in Israel and instructed them to support Sharon's bid in not advancing the primaries.