Israel faces a leadership crisis after the ruling Likud party's crushing rejection of Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's plan to withdraw troops and settlers from the Gaza Strip.
The decisive victory for ultra-nationalist and religious Likud factions in Sunday's party referendum means that on the key policy of his premiership, Mr Sharon no longer has the backing of the party he founded three decades ago.
... Although polls suggest most Israelis support Mr Sharon's Gaza plan, procedures to push it through the cabinet and Parliament, or by referendum to the country as a whole, are fraught with difficulties and could take months to complete.
Decisions Mr Sharon takes in the days ahead could cost him his job, provoke early elections or - if he splits the Likud by pushing ahead - lead to a realignment of Israeli politics.
Accepting defeat, Mr Sharon told the Israeli media that he respected the result, but he seemed to indicate he had not given up on his plan.
"The people of Israel did not want me to sit for four years with my hands folded," Mr Sharon said. "I was elected to bring to this nation the calm, peace and security it deserves. I intend to continue to lead the state of Israel according to the best of my abilities, my conscience and my public obligations."
The defeat is all the greater in light of the strong support the plan received from US President George Bush.
The decisive victory for ultra-nationalist and religious Likud factions in Sunday's party referendum means that on the key policy of his premiership, Mr Sharon no longer has the backing of the party he founded three decades ago.
... Although polls suggest most Israelis support Mr Sharon's Gaza plan, procedures to push it through the cabinet and Parliament, or by referendum to the country as a whole, are fraught with difficulties and could take months to complete.
Decisions Mr Sharon takes in the days ahead could cost him his job, provoke early elections or - if he splits the Likud by pushing ahead - lead to a realignment of Israeli politics.
Accepting defeat, Mr Sharon told the Israeli media that he respected the result, but he seemed to indicate he had not given up on his plan.
"The people of Israel did not want me to sit for four years with my hands folded," Mr Sharon said. "I was elected to bring to this nation the calm, peace and security it deserves. I intend to continue to lead the state of Israel according to the best of my abilities, my conscience and my public obligations."
The defeat is all the greater in light of the strong support the plan received from US President George Bush.
Now, I'm not suggesting that the defeat is good news as concerns the Likud party - they surely meant to say, "Hell, no - we're not giving up an inch to those Palestinians who think they're actually people and should have some right to live in God's quarters." However, just the idea that Sharon and Bush did not get their plan rubber stamped, and the possibility that this means Sharon's end, has some definite merit. Although, I suppose it could be worse if one of the Likud party members should take his place.
At any rate, it was a definite dump on Bush - a high price that we the people will pay for him, of course.
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