An Israeli cabinet minister warned Monday that breaking up the government would “grant a victory to one man who seeks the disintegration of the unity government - Palestinian President Yasser Arafat.”
Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and Foreign Minister Shimon Peres met Sunday night in Jerusalem in an effort to iron out sharp differences which erupted during a cabinet meeting, and were then leaked to the media for the first time.
"There is one person who wants to see this government fall - and in particular the disintegration of the unity government - and that is Arafat," Tzachi Hanegbi told Israel Radio, cited by Haaretz newspaper.
"We must not grant him this victory. Especially at this moment, we must grit our teeth and make every effort to work together. Last night's meeting ended in success, and it appears to me that this crisis is over."
The angry exchange between the two coalition partners broke out over Sharon's refusal to authorize a meeting between Peres, visiting UN Secretary General Kofi Annan and Arafat in Ramallah.
The incident sparked speculation regarding the condition of the coalition government, which comprises ideological rivals whose collaboration, since Sharon's election in February, has presented the Palestinian Authority with a united Israeli front vis a vis the Intifada, said the paper.
However, ministers said after the incident that the tension between Sharon and Peres had been brewing as a result of previous disagreements over their approach to Arafat and Israel's demand for a cessation of what they call “Palestinian violence,” the paper added.
"I can understand Shimon Peres - he has a world view, and no one asked him to give it up and take out membership in the Likud," Hanegbi said.
Hanegbi added that although the February elections that swept Sharon into power yielded a clear winner, "we have an interest in not sharpening the differences of opinion. "Each main element of the government must take into consideration the views of the other side, (as well as) the accord reached last night in the meeting between Mr. Sharon and Mr. Peres."
Peres, who shared the Nobel peace prize with Arafat for the 1993 Oslo peace accords, was reportedly furious over Sharon's refusal to allow the meeting, saying he would not take "directives" from his right-wing leader.
The leading Labor minister in the multi-party government, Peres still regards Arafat as a possible peace partner, while Sharon has publicly referred to the Palestinian President as a "murderer" and "pathological liar."
Peres' decision to take a key role in a right-wing government has met with strong disapproval from some Labor party colleagues, said Haaretz.
"By rallying alongside Ariel Sharon, Shimon Peres has committed the biggest mistake of his life, he has offered him his Nobel prize and is serving as his alibi," said Yossi Beilin, a former justice minister and one of the architects of the Oslo accords – Albawaba.com
© 2001 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
