Israeli party considers Peres election bid

A small left-wing political party in Israel is deciding today whether to back the veteran Labour party politician, Shimon Peres, in his bid to become prime minister.

Mr Peres needs the support of at least ten MPs to stand as a candidate in the election in February and the party, Meretz, has the required number.

The Prime Minister, Ehud Barak, and his Labour party supporters have urged Mr Peres not to stand, warning that it could split the left-wing vote and undermine the current Middle East peace talks taking place in Washington. But recent opinion polls show that Israelis see Mr Peres -- a principal architect of the peace process -- as the man best suited to deal with the Palestinians. A Meretz official, Naomi Chazan, told the BBC the party leadership was extremely divided over whether or not to approve his candidacy.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service