Sharon invites Labour to join coalition

ISRAELI Prime Minister Ariel Sharon yesterday invited the opposition Labour Party into the government, seeking to shore up his coalition as Israel’s plans to pull out of the Gaza Strip move into high gear.

The move came a day after Mr Sharon easily won approval from his Likud Party to begin negotiations to bring its traditional rival into the government.

The Likud vote gave Mr Sharon an important political victory as he pushes forward with his plan to withdraw from the Gaza Strip and four small West Bank settlements in mid-2005.

A government with the dovish Labour Party, along with upcoming Palestinian presidential elections, could also help restart long-stalled peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians.

In a new sign of progress yesterday, Israeli security officials said the army is prepared to turn over security responsibilities in northern Gaza to the Palestinians well ahead of the withdrawal.

Labour leader Shimon Peres said Mr Sharon called him early yesterday to invite his party into coalition negotiations. Peres praised the Likud’s decision to pursue unity talks and said his party would meet today to authorise him to open talks.

“I hope we should be able to move ahead in the direction of peace,” he said. “It’s not simple. It’s not easy, but it is promising and the right step.”

A senior government official said Mr Sharon also invited two religious parties to open coalition talks. The official said negotiations with all parties would begin early next week, with the goal of quickly reaching a new coalition arrangement.

Hard-line opposition to the Gaza withdrawal plan and a falling out with the secular-rights Shinui Party, a key coalition partner, have left Mr Sharon with a tattered minority in the 120-member parliament. With Labour’s support, Sharon will regain a majority that appears poised to be able to carry out the withdrawal. Much of the opposition to the withdrawal has come from within the Likud, which made Thursday’s vote so critical for Sharon.

Last May, the Likud rank and file overwhelmingly voted against the withdrawal plan in a party referendum. Mr Sharon ignored the vote and pressed ahead.

Despite continued misgivings over the Gaza plan, the party’s Central Committee voted 62% to 38% on Thursday in favour of talking to Labour, preferring that alliance to the alternative of heading to early elections.

For decades, Mr Sharon was the leading proponent of building settlements in the West Bank and Gaza, and his Likud hotly opposed conceding any land to the Palestinians. Over the past year, however, Sharon changed his policy.

Mr Sharon says the Gaza settlements, with 8,200 Jews living among more than a million Palestinians, are untenable and must be removed.

The recent death of Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat has also helped revitalise peace prospects.

Mr Sharon has said he is ready to co-ordinate the pullout - and perhaps resume full peace negotiations - with the new Palestinian leadership. Mr Sharon refused to negotiate with Arafat.