Jerusalem - A political battle within Israel's Labour party is thwarting efforts by Prime Minister-elect Mr Ariel Sharon to form a coalition government with the hope of making peace with the Palestinians.
"Until they decide amongst themselves, we cannot negotiate [on a coalition]," Sharon strategist Mr Raanan Gissin said last night. Political infighting has raged among Labour leaders since Mr Sharon crushed Mr Barak in the prime ministerial election on February 6th.
Mr Barak has come under criticism from erstwhile Labour allies for his failures and seeming to backtrack on an election night announcement of a "timeout" from politics.