Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: FRIDAY, March 16, 1990 TAG: 9003162804
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL PAGE: A/1 EDITION: EVENING
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: JERUSALEM LENGTH: Medium
The Yediot Ahronot daily said Shamir was considering retirement from political life following Thursday's defeat. Another newspaper, Maariv, quoted the premier as saying "I see no reason to resign."
Israel radio said Likud leaders met in Shamir's office this morning for a discussion of the party's future.
Sahi Alnegbi, a Likud member of parliament, said on Israel radio: "Mr. Shamir will have to resign Shamir eventually because he cannot form a narrow government."
"When the time comes, he will have to realize he has to pass the leadership to someone else."
He said the likely candidates to succeed Shamir are former Trade Minister Ariel Sharon, Foreign Minister Moshe Arens and David Levy, the housing minister and deputy prime minister.
Senior Shamir aides were not immediately available for comment.
Labor Party leader Shimon Peres, meanwhile, launched contacts to form a new government, hoping to cash in on the support from a swing religious party that yielded the 60-55 victory against Shamir.
It was the first time an Israeli premier was formally ousted by a no-confidence motion. Past prime ministers have resigned before a vote was held when they appeared sure of losing.
Shamir remains caretaker prime minister until a new government is formed, a process that could take months.
The dispute that brought down Shamir's government centered on U.S. proposals for Middle East peace that included involving east Jerusalem Arabs and Palestinians deported by Israel in peace talks.
Labor supported the moves, but Likud objected that including east Jerusalem Arabs could call into question Israel's control of Jerusalem and deportees could indirectly involve the Palestine Liberation Organization in the process.
Peres, a left-of-center politician and former premier, appeared to have the best chances of being asked to form a new government, Israeli reports said today.
But the complexities of reconciling demands of the religious parties and his allies in left-wing factions could force Labor and Likud reluctantly into a broad-based government or bring about early national elections.
According to Maariv and the Hadashot daily, Peres has offered the ultra-Orthodox Shas Party the important Finance Ministry in a new government. Five of six Shas leaders helped Labor Thursday by being absent from voting.
Another would-be Labor ally is the ultra-Orthodox Agudat Israel faction, which voted against Likud. Hadashot said this party may be assigned the Housing and Welfare ministries.
The two religious parties hold a critical 11 seats in the 120-member Parliament, which when added to 15 held by Arab and left-wing factions, would give the 39-member Labor a majority of 65.
Likud holds 40 seats. The threatened end of its 13-year dominance in government touched off new infighting in the fractious party, with supporters of Levy urging the removal of the 74-year-old Shamir as party chairman.
"The reality shows that as long as we don't unite around one person it will be fateful for Likud," Levy supporter and legislator Reuven Rivlin said on the radio. "Today we have to unite around one person who can lead us to forming a government."
Rivlin said Levy supporters met Thursday night after the vote but no decisions were made. Levy has been an ally of Sharon, the retired general who quit in February to protest the government's peace policies.
Shamir supporter and Minister of Arab Affairs Ehud Olmert also hinted there was talk of Shamir stepping down.
"What is in the realm of the possible is difficult to predict,"Olmert said. "Concerning Yitzhak Shamir, I think that's something he must decide and I think we will speak about it in the next couple of days."
Peres told reporters he was confident Labor would lead the next government and would move toward peace.
Palestinians have waged a 27-month-old uprising against Israeli rule of the occupied West Bank and Gaza Strip. At least 663 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli soldiers or civilians in the revolt. Forty-three Israelis also have been slain.
by CNB