"Peres quits Labour to back Sharon" (BBC)

Peres quits Labour to back Sharon
Veteran Israeli politician Shimon Peres has quit the Labour Party and announced his support for his long-time rival, Prime Minister Ariel Sharon.

Mr Peres said he had taken the difficult decision because Mr Sharon was the person with the best chance of forging peace with the Palestinians.

Mr Peres, 82, did not say whether he would join Mr Sharon's new Kadima party ahead of Israel's election in March.

Mr Peres lost the Labour leadership in a contest earlier this month.

Trade union leader Amir Peretz has succeeded him at the helm of Labour.

Mr Peres has stood for his party's leadership on and off for the last three decades.

Mr Sharon formed his centrist party early this month after quitting the governing right-of-centre Likud he helped establish in 1973....

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/4485568.stm

I'm thinking it's incredibly bizarre.

with the Palestinians"

This statement seems ridiculous on its face, given that Sharon's infamous armed visit to the Temple Mount is what sparked a great deal of the current strife.

n/t

The fascists are the ones left in Likud.

Peres's words could easily apply to those of us that oppose the Iraq War on moral and ethical grounds:



Fighting for peace was more important to Peres than party affiliation.

in his hands. The same can be said for past and present American Presidents, Clinton included.

The issue is who can make peace while maintaining security, for peace without security is a false peace. Israelis are indeed privileged to have the choice between 3 distinct political parties, a far cry from the 2 corporatist parties we have in America.

and you and I have been on opposites sides of this issue since I joined. I've taken a hiatus for a while but a lot of people can't see past the "Sharon is evil" and "Zionism is racism" creed.

Everyone does indeed have blood on their hands. I hated Sharon and was horrified when he was elected, but I have been immensely impressed with him over the last eighteen months. I think, admittedly, he is thinking about his place in history, but if that is his motive to bring peace, then so be it. He is doing a far better job that I could have imagined, and I admire that he quit the Likud, which has become a party devoid of ideas and filled mostly with hatred.

These are hopeful times.

Josh from Sydney? If you are, welcome back, and make sure you come and join the rest of us here:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topics&forum=199

Violet...

Maybe if Sharon had shown even the slightest inkling in the past of being interested in a negotiated peace, and wasn't talking about taking chunks of the West Bank, I might agree with you....

Violet...

i have admired Peres for a long time. i don't know what to make of this.

I like Peres a lot too and I think he's sincere in wanting peace. But in Israel he has a reputation of being quite an opportunist. Moreover, many on the left don't fully trust him b/c they say he bungled his premiership in the aftermath of Rabin's assassination, launching a needless attack on Lebanon that wound up backfiring, inflaming tensions and violence, and leading to Netanyahu's election.

From what I've read, while they're politically quite apart, Peres trusts Sharon. He does NOT trust Amir Peretz. So it appears personal more than anything else. Because ideologically, he's still closer to Labor than to Kadima (Sharon's party).

Other's are saying it's because Sharon is offering Peres a greater role than Peretz is. So that would fit the "opportunist" description.

I suppose that if Sharon wins the elections and Peres as "minister of peace" (as Sharon intends to name him) manages to bring about peace, his decision will be seen as grand and visionary. If he fails, he will go down as an opportunist who sold his identity to the highest bidder.

Working with Sharon is not. Peres served as vice-premier in the current government, which Labour was part of. I would echo the comments that Peres trusts Sharon - they may be long time rivals but, I've read, they are also good friends. Politics is like that......

Surprising exactly no one, Shimon Peres has left the Labor Party to join forces with Ariel Sharon and the new Kadima Party. As is typical with much Israeli politics, the move is generating more heat than light: Labor is accusing Peres of betrayal, Likud is saying that this proves Kadima is a left-wing party, etc. etc. But this is a good divorce: it helps both Labor and Peres.
(snip)
http://www.markarkleiman.com/archives/middle_east_politics_/2005/11/velvet_divorce_israelistyle.php