Peres quits Labour Party to back Sharon
Israeli political upheaval like a coup: Abbas
Ap, afp, Jerusalem/ Ramallah
Longtime Labour leader Shimon Peres quit his party after six decades, saying he wanted to support former rival Ariel Sharon's bid for re-election to help him pursue their common goal of making peace with the Palestinians. Peres cemented the alliance when he announced Wednesday he would back Sharon's new centrist Kadima party in the campaign for March elections. It was the culmination of a dramatic political realignment in the country after Sharon pulled Israel out of the Gaza Strip this summer and then left his hardline Likud to form a more moderate party. The 82-year-old Peres, who led Labour to five electoral defeats and lost a race earlier this month to lead the party into a sixth election, said he believed Sharon was best suited to pursue a peace deal. "I am convinced that he is determined, as I am, to continue with the peace process and restart it immediately after the elections," Peres said in a voice shaking with emotion. "I decided, therefore, to support his election and cooperate with him to realize these goals." Under a reported deal worked out with Sharon, Peres would support Kadima but would not officially join the party and he would not run for a seat in parliament, where he has served since 1959. In return, Sharon if re-elected will give Peres a senior post in his next government, possibly putting him in charge of peace talks with the Palestinians and neighbouring Arab states. Though Peres cited peace efforts, he is also piqued at Labour members who rejected his bid to become the party's candidate for prime minister again. Peres' defection was an important coup for Sharon. Now both men have left parties they guided for decades, joining forces in a new political lineup. They could emerge from March 28 elections at the head of the first solid parliamentary bloc in favour of compromises for peace with Palestinians. Meanwhile, Palestinian leader Mahmud Abbas said Wednesday the recent upheaval in Israeli politics amounted to a virtual coup in the Jewish state. "The tranformations of the political parties in Israel represents a near political and social coup d'etat," Abbas told journalists at his West Bank headquarters. "We must wait to see what other changes will take place in Israel. We are interested in knowing who is going to represent the Israeli people and who is going to negotiate with us," he added. Israel has experienced seismic political changes in the past few weeks.
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