ISRAEL: Fighting for his political life, Israeli Prime Minister Mr Ariel Sharon yesterday continued his efforts to try and bring Mr Benjamin Netanyahu into his cabinet as foreign minister, but the former premier made it clear to Mr Sharon that he would agree only on condition that national elections were brought forward.
Mr Netanyahu's conditional reply, which comes four days after the Labour Party left Mr Sharon's national unity government, is seen as the latest gambit in a political battle between the two men - both members of the right-wing Likud, and who are expected to compete against each other in a party primary before the next national election.
Mr Sharon's offer to Mr Netanyahu, who has been critical of the prime minister for not adopting harsher policies toward the Palestinians, has been seen as a bid to silence Mr Netanyahu by bringing him into the government.
Mr Netanyahu, who does not want to be seen as abandoning a government headed by his party during a time of crisis, said yesterday he would "be happy to serve as foreign minister on condition we go to new elections".
Mr Sharon, who prefers a narrow majority over elections, will find it hard to accept this demand, which his aides dismissed last night as "political trickery".
"If we want to call early elections, we don't need Netanyahu," said another source close to the prime minister.
Mr Sharon continued his efforts to expand his coalition, with aides meeting members of the far-right National Union-Yisrael Beiteinu faction, which strongly opposes negotiations with the Palestinians and backs the settlements in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, in a bid to hammer out a basis for a partnership. "We want a significant change in the policies of the government," said Yuri Stern, a member of the far-right faction.
But Mr Sharon has said he is not prepared to change the government policy guidelines he worked out with Labour.