The decision was reached Monday morning at a meeting among Likud government ministers convened by party chairman Binyamin Netanyahu. Between Sunday evening and Monday morning, Netanyahu had spoken individually with Ministers Limor Livnat, Danny Naveh, Yisrael Katz and Silvan Shalom, emphasizing that it was not politically possible to attack the government's policies as long as Likud members sit in the cabinet. Therefore, in light of upcoming national elections, he asked them to offer their resignations as soon as possible.



Among other issues determining the timing of the planned Likud resignations is the upcoming hospitalization of the prime minister for a heart catheterization procedure on Thursday. Ministers pushing for delaying their resignations contend that resigning before Sharon's hospitalization would be perceived by the public as a move lacking in national responsibility. Those in favor of resigning before Sharon's hospitalization claim that the longer the party remains in the government, the more harm is done to the party's electoral prospects.



Commenting on the make-up of the existing government coalition ahead of the meeting with Netanyahu, Education Minister Livnat said that government ministers who broke away from the Likud to form the Kadima party are the ones who have no right to their position. "They are sitting on a Likud mandate," said Livnat, "because Likud voters chose them to sit in the government."