'Safety Net' Removed From Sharon's Govt.

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'Safety Net' Removed From Sharon's Govt.

By LAURIE COPANS, Associated Press Writer

JERUSALEM - The opposition Labor Party said Wednesday that it will stop acting as a political safety net for the government and begin opposing Prime Minister Ariel Sharon (news - web sites) in parliament next week, jeopardizing his minority coalition and Gaza withdrawal plan.

The announcement came after Sharon told Labor leader Shimon Peres in a meeting Tuesday that he could not bring Labor into his coalition due to resistance in his Likud movement, Peres spokesman Yoram Dori said.

Faced with rebellious Likud hawks, Sharon has relied on a "safety net" provided by the centrist Labor Party to get him through crucial upcoming votes on the 2005 budget and his plan to pull out of the Gaza Strip (news - web sites) and four West Bank settlements.

Peres had announced Labor's support for Sharon's "disengagement plan" and suggested Labor would support Sharon on major votes in parliament to ensure the government would not fall before the plan can be implemented next summer.

But Labor has been angered by Sharon's refusal, in exchange for the safety net, to alter some parts of the 2005 budget.

Labor will next week introduce a no-confidence motion against the government, party lawmaker Dalia Itzik said Wednesday.

"Why do we have to be Sharon's baby sitter on every issue," Itzik told Army Radio. "We will submit a no-confidence motion against him next week. The disrespect is so great."

Labor will continue to support Sharon on all votes related to the disengagement, Itzik said.

Sharon's greatest hurdle now is the budget. The government will fall if the budget does not pass by March 30.

Sharon's coalition was reduced to 55 seats in the 120-member parliament after the National Religious Party pulled out of the government earlier this month to protest the withdrawal plan.

The Likud is currently negotiating with the United Torah Judaism religious party to bring them into the coalition, but their funding demands may conflict with those of another coalition partner, the secular-rights Shinui Party.

Analysts say Sharon may be able to squirm out of his quandary by forming a "coalition for the moment" for each vote, whereby he would garner enough support, including among Likud rebels, for the budget and then rely on centrist and even dovish parties to help pass the votes on the Gaza withdrawal.

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