Leading Likud members disagree on whether to quit the government, in the wake of Sharon's critical medical condition.
After Ariel Sharon quit the Likud two months ago to form the Kadima Party with several other ministers, the Likud dropped from the status of the ruling party to a minority within the government. When Binyamin Netanyahu was chosen last month to head the Likud, he decided that the four party ministers would quit the government, in anticipation of the upcoming elections.
The four ministers did not like the idea, but accepted their leader's decision. The resignations were to be submitted today - but following Sharon's massive stroke, Netanyahu decided to suspend the move.
Rivlin, a leading Likud member who strongly opposed the expulsion plan, said last night that the party ministers should not remain in the government. He does not like the fact that Likud members would cooperate in a government headed by former Likud ideologue Ehud Olmert, one of the Likud members who left in order to form Kadima.
"The Likud ministers must quit immediately," Rivlin told Haaretz, "in order to wage a political fight against Olmert's positions. The Likud can help Olmert maintain regime stability from the opposition - but for us to remain partners until the elections in a government headed by Olmert, as some of the ministers want, would be a show of support for Olmert's policies - which are policies of the left-wing."
Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom, on the other hand, who lost to Netanyahu in the race for party leader, says that now is not the time to quit. "The Nation of Israel is interested only in the Prime Minister's condition, and not in whether the Likud resigns or not," Shalom said this morning.
Shalom added that he and the other Likud ministers will give Acting Prime Minister Ehud Olmert total support at this time.
Acting Prime Minister Olmert is conducting a Cabinet meeting today, in an attempt to broadcast stability. The ministers are to hear diplomatic and security briefings, and will discuss the distribution of the ministerial portfolios. Olmert inherited from Sharon no fewer than ten such portfolios, most of them left over from the resignation of the Labor Party ministers several weeks ago. Added to the two Olmert himself held - Finance and Trade - this gives him more portfolios than has even been held by one man.
It had been agreed within Kadima that Sharon would decide who would man which portfolio, as well as the composition of the party's list of Knesset candidates. However, not everyone in the party agrees that Olmert's assumption of Sharon's Prime Ministerial authorities automatically grants him the other authorities as well.
The "Likudnik" website, quoting Israel Radio, reports, "In the coming days, the Kadima movement will have to consider the legal aspects of this issue and solve the problem, which could lead to a disagreement among the members and new demands."
It has also been reported that Ehud Olmert will meet in the coming days with his friend and former Prime Minister, Ehud Barak. Barak, of the Labor Party, is not even running for a Knesset seat on the Labor list, largely because of his deep public disagreements with Labor Leader Amir Peretz.
Peretz has been under some pressure to bring Barak back, while Barak's meeting with Olmert raises speculation that Barak might join Kadima.
The future of Shimon Peres is also not clear. He left Labor several weeks ago to join Kadima, exclusively because of Ariel Sharon. "I do not believe that it is possible to advance the peace process in the current political situation," Peres said at the time, "other than with a coalition. The only one who can lead this is Ariel Sharon." With Sharon all but out of the picture, Peres is now reportedly considering returning to Labor - although aides close to him denied this. He met with Olmert on Friday.
After Ariel Sharon quit the Likud two months ago to form the Kadima Party with several other ministers, the Likud dropped from the status of the ruling party to a minority within the government. When Binyamin Netanyahu was chosen last month to head the Likud, he decided that the four party ministers would quit the government, in anticipation of the upcoming elections.
The four ministers did not like the idea, but accepted their leader's decision. The resignations were to be submitted today - but following Sharon's massive stroke, Netanyahu decided to suspend the move.
Rivlin, a leading Likud member who strongly opposed the expulsion plan, said last night that the party ministers should not remain in the government. He does not like the fact that Likud members would cooperate in a government headed by former Likud ideologue Ehud Olmert, one of the Likud members who left in order to form Kadima.
"The Likud ministers must quit immediately," Rivlin told Haaretz, "in order to wage a political fight against Olmert's positions. The Likud can help Olmert maintain regime stability from the opposition - but for us to remain partners until the elections in a government headed by Olmert, as some of the ministers want, would be a show of support for Olmert's policies - which are policies of the left-wing."
Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom, on the other hand, who lost to Netanyahu in the race for party leader, says that now is not the time to quit. "The Nation of Israel is interested only in the Prime Minister's condition, and not in whether the Likud resigns or not," Shalom said this morning.
Shalom added that he and the other Likud ministers will give Acting Prime Minister Ehud Olmert total support at this time.
Acting Prime Minister Olmert is conducting a Cabinet meeting today, in an attempt to broadcast stability. The ministers are to hear diplomatic and security briefings, and will discuss the distribution of the ministerial portfolios. Olmert inherited from Sharon no fewer than ten such portfolios, most of them left over from the resignation of the Labor Party ministers several weeks ago. Added to the two Olmert himself held - Finance and Trade - this gives him more portfolios than has even been held by one man.
It had been agreed within Kadima that Sharon would decide who would man which portfolio, as well as the composition of the party's list of Knesset candidates. However, not everyone in the party agrees that Olmert's assumption of Sharon's Prime Ministerial authorities automatically grants him the other authorities as well.
The "Likudnik" website, quoting Israel Radio, reports, "In the coming days, the Kadima movement will have to consider the legal aspects of this issue and solve the problem, which could lead to a disagreement among the members and new demands."
It has also been reported that Ehud Olmert will meet in the coming days with his friend and former Prime Minister, Ehud Barak. Barak, of the Labor Party, is not even running for a Knesset seat on the Labor list, largely because of his deep public disagreements with Labor Leader Amir Peretz.
Peretz has been under some pressure to bring Barak back, while Barak's meeting with Olmert raises speculation that Barak might join Kadima.
The future of Shimon Peres is also not clear. He left Labor several weeks ago to join Kadima, exclusively because of Ariel Sharon. "I do not believe that it is possible to advance the peace process in the current political situation," Peres said at the time, "other than with a coalition. The only one who can lead this is Ariel Sharon." With Sharon all but out of the picture, Peres is now reportedly considering returning to Labor - although aides close to him denied this. He met with Olmert on Friday.