Labour to join Sharon coalition

Sharon is demanding an end to Palestinian attacks

Israel's Labour party has voted to join a government of national unity under the Prime Minister-elect, Ariel Sharon.

The country has a chance for peace and the party has a chance for renewal

Shimon Peres

The party's central committee voted by secret ballot after a stormy meeting in Tel Aviv, despite internal fighting over the issue.

About two-thirds of those present voted in favour of joining the government.

Mr Sharon won a landslide victory against incumbent Prime Minister Ehud Barak earlier this month.

Divided

He then invited Labour to join a unity government that would tackle a nearly five-month-old Palestinian uprising.

In one of his most fiery speeches in years, Labour elder statesman Shimon Peres urged the party to unite behind his vision of a political partnership with Mr Sharon.

Shimon Peres insisted the coalition government can work for peace

"The time has come to listen to the people," he said, referring to opinion polls that show a majority of Israelis in favour of a unity government.

There has been fervent opposition in the Labour ranks against joining a coalition, with many members passionately opposed to Mr Sharon's hardline, uncompromising approach to dealing with the Palestinians.

There have been warnings that the party is in danger of splitting over the issue.

Mr Peres tried to downplay such fears, saying, "this vote is a victory for Israel and a victory for the Labour party".

He also told the assembly he would be prepared to answer a future call to become Labour's chairman again. Mr Barak resigned from the post last week, starting what he called a time-out from politics.

Real winner

Labour has been offered the defence and foreign affairs portfolios in a future coalition.

The BBC correspondent in Jerusalem says the fact that Mr Sharon will be able to present a government made up of opinion from across the political spectrum will strengthen his position as he prepares to take power.

Leading Labour doves were concerned about belonging to a government that includes members of the far-right, which they fear could prove highly divisive in future dealings with the Palestinians.

On Monday, the head of the influential Jewish settlers' council in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, Shlomo Filber, added to these concerns by calling for the killing of Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat as a response to attacks on Jews.

"We have suffered more than 2,000 attacks in less than five months perpetrated by Arafat and his security forces," Mr Filber told Israeli radio.

"He must be liquidated and the apparatus he runs destroyed."