TEL AVIV - L'ex-premier ministre israélien Shimon Peres a annoncé qu'il renonçait à toute activité politique au sein du Parti travailliste. Il soutiendra le chef du gouvernement Ariel Sharon lors des législatives du 28 mars.

"Mon action au sein du parti est arrivé à son terme. J'ai décidé de soutenir Ariel Sharon qui est le seul à pouvoir mener une coalition pour la paix", a déclaré M. Peres, âgé de 82 ans, lors d'une conférence de presse. à la presse

Ariel Sharon, adversaire politique mais ami de longue date de Peres, a rompu les liens ce mois-ci avec son bloc de droite, le Likoud. Il a fondé à cette occasion un nouveau parti "centriste", Kadima (En avant en hébreu).

Source : Romandie News

Former Labor chair will support PM in election

By Haaretz Service

Former Labor chairman Shimon Peres announced Wednesday he was ending his political activity in the Labor Party and would support Prime Minister Ariel Sharon in the upcoming March elections. Peres stated that Sharon was the appropriate person to head a coalition of peace and security. He said he was supporting Sharon as the person who had the best chance of restarting the peace process with the Palestinians. "In my opinion, the appropriate person to head the coalition that will bring peace is Arik Sharon," he said at a special press conference that he convened. "My party activities have concluded," he added.

"I held talks with him [Sharon] and I am convinced that he is determined to continue the peace process. I was informed that he is open to creative ideas to attain peace and security. I have decided to support him in the elections and to cooperate with him in attaining these goals." "This is a difficult day for me in which I ask myself: What is the central issue standing before the state of Israel in the coming years and at present? I have no doubt that it is the unavoidable combination of peace and diplomatic advances. I ask myself how I can contribute in the coming years, and the answer is by advancing the peace process that will contribute to a thriving economy and social justice." "It was not easy but I made the choice and decided," Peres, 82, said on his decision to leave the party he has been a member of for 46 years. Peres, who has held every major Cabinet position, lost the race for Labor chairman three weeks ago to Amir Peretz. Source : Haaretz

Peres: Sharon only leader who can lead Israel to peace

After 61 years in the Labor party and a record 46 years in the Knesset, Shimon Peres announced on Wednesday evening that he was quitting party politics.

"My political party activities have come to an end, but my contribution to peace and to the development of the Negev and the Galilee is still vital. I intend to dedicate the next several years to the effort of bringing peace to our region," Peres announced during a press conference he convened in his Tel Aviv office.

In his statement, Peres said that the current political setup could not lead to Mideast peace, and a new team was needed.

"I believe the most qualified person to head this coalition, based on the test of experience, is Arik Sharon," he said, referring to Sharon by his nickname.

According to Peres, "It is a very tough day for me. I ask myself, what is the most important thing for the state in the next few years? The answer, no doubt, is peace and progress in the diplomatic front."

"During recent talks with Sharon," Peres added, "I reached the conclusion that Sharon was adamant about implementing his agenda and will start doing so immediately after the elections. Sharon is serious about achieving peace."

The veteran politician noted the words of Israel's first prime minister, David Ben Gurion, who, after quitting Mapai and establishing the Rafi Party, said he preferred the state to the party.

"When I spoke with Sharon, we discussed the creation of a regional triangle of Israel, the PA and Jordan that would enjoy a special status in the European Union. We also spoke about the importance of opening a dialogue with the US to ensure the safety of the region from the Iranian nuclear threat and from rampant terrorism," he said.

During his recent visit to Spain, Peres told reporters, "It's not easy to leave a party that I headed and to which I am connected from an ideological standpoint."

Sources close to Peres said he had decided to join Sharon "because the party framework is irrelevant, the pursuit of peace is essential and only Sharon can dismantle settlements in a peace agreement."

They said that Peres's anger against Peretz for breaking his promise not to run against him for the Labor leadership was another key reason.

Former Labor MK Dalia Itzik, who joined Kadima on Monday, said she had warned Peres of a hostile takeover of Labor by Peretz but he had refused to face reality. Itzik said she negotiated joining Kadima over a 10-day period and rejected statements from Sharon associates that she was brought into Kadima at Peres's request.

Meanwhile, Sharon and Peretz continued drafting new faces to Kadima and Labor on Wednesday, following a full day of political comings and goings.

Peretz is negotiating with former IDF deputy chief of general staff Uzi Dayan, former MK Dalia Rabin, and a social-affairs lawyer named Yuval Elbashan. Sharon has several political meetings on Wednesday, with the most fateful expected to be with Peres.

Likud faction chairman Gideon Sa'ar said that Kadima had become "a political refugee camp that has come together to implement the leftist agenda. A vote for Sharon has become a vote for Labor," Sa'ar said. "I have no doubt that, when it becomes clear to everyone what Sharon's path is and how absurd this grouping is, people will come back to the Likud."

Likud MK Michael Eitan was blunter, saying that "even the sheep on Sharon's ranch have more self-respect and ethics than the careerists who have joined his party."

Source : Jerusalem Post