Sharon praises tough line on Iran and Syria

Israel’s prime minister Ariel Sharon lashed out against terrorism and praised the world for taking on Syria and Iran, as rebels in his own party continued moves to force him out of office.

In a speech marking the start of the parliament’s winter session, Sharon grouped Iran, Syria and Palestinian militants together as hostile elements that “don’t need reasons or excuses (to attack Israel) – just an opportunity”.

Although few in Sharon’s Likud Party disagreed, rebels still angry after his pull-out from Gaza and part of the West Bank forced an embarrassingly close vote in approval of Sharon’s speech – 51 to 48.

Unless he can restore party unity against the odds, a snap election could be inevitable, further stalling Middle East peace efforts.

Meanwhile low-level violence continued yesterday, a day after an informal truce was endangered by an Israeli raid in the West Bank that killed three Palestinian militants. After sundown, Palestinians fired a rocket from Gaza towards Israel and Israel responded with artillery fire, witnesses said. No one was hurt.

In the West Bank, Israeli forces conducted sweeps of Islamic Jihad concentrations in three villages, residents said.

Palestinian information minister Nabil Shaath said the informal truce was still in place. Speaking to reporters last night after meeting visiting Italian foreign minister Gianfranco Fini, Shaath said, “We passed a very dangerous week, and we hope that this understanding will continue to be a full ceasefire.”

But a Palestinian Authority website quoted Islamic Jihad leader Khaled el-Batesh as reserving the right to retaliate for Israel’s “maniac acts”.

Israeli officials have said they will not make a deal with the militants, but if their attacks stop, Israel would halt its retaliation.

This week’s three-day Muslim observance of Eid-al-Fitr, marking the end of the holy month of Ramadan, could also be a factor. Violence has usually diminished during main Muslim feasts.

Sharon was uncompromising in his speech, demanding that the Palestinians move against militants as part of the US-backed “road map” peace plan.

“There is no way around the demand on the Palestinians to carry out their obligation to dismantle the terror groups,” he said.

Palestinians complain that Israel has not done its part under the plan, including removal of unauthorised West Bank outposts and halting settlement construction.

Sharon said Israel “will continue to defend itself and hit the perpetrators of terrorism”, referring to a suicide bombing last week that killed five Israelis.

“The dispatchers of terrorists from Iran and Damascus, from Gaza and (West Bank towns of) Jenin, from Tulkarem and from Qabatiyeh, from Hebron and Bethlehem, do not need reasons or excuses, only an opportunity.”

Sharon said that for the first time in years, “the United Nations is standing against extremist countries like Iran and Syria that threaten the region”.

The UN Security Council demanded yesterday that Syria co-operate with an inquiry into the murder of Lebanese ex-premier Rafik Hariri and might take on the issue of the Iranian nuclear programme.

Sharon’s domestic problems centre on the pull-out from Gaza and part of the West Bank, which represented a policy shift for Sharon, a decades-long backer and builder of settlements. He was forced to reshuffle his centre-right government, ignoring heavy party criticism, to pull it off.

Now his Likud opponents are determined to bring down his government. Together with the parliamentary opposition, they forced him to delay a routine move of naming two new ministers to his Cabinet yesterday for lack of a simple majority.

Analysts say if he fails again next week, he might advance general elections, set now for next November.

Haim Ramon of the moderate Labour Party, which joined Sharon’s Cabinet to rescue the Gaza withdrawal, believes the current government has reached the end of its road.

“The fact that the ruling party is falling apart and is not functioning anymore means that the government cannot function and that means that we have to go to early elections,” he said.