Israeli parties form new govt

2005-01-07 11:39

Jerusalem - Three Israeli political parties on Thursday signed an agreement to form a new government under Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, Israeli media reported.

Sharon's Likud Party, United Torah Judaism (UTJ) and the Labour Party signed the coalition agreement, marking the establishment of the new government that will lead Sharon's disengagement plan.

Sharon planned to present his new government on Monday. The coalition will hold 66 seats in the 120-seat Knesset.

Prior to the signing Likud and UTJ resolved a dispute over a UTJ last-minute request that a constitution plan not be discussed in the Knesset's Constitution, Law and Justice Committee without UTJ's consent.

When the dispute was resolved, Likud approached Labour Party negotiators and the three parties signed a coalition agreement, Haaretz reported at its website.

Israel's pullout from Gaza

Likud and UTJ cleared a key step in the coalition-forming process on Wednesday when Rabbi Shalom Elyashiv, spiritual leader of the ultra-Orthodox UTJ, granted consent to a conditional three-month trial period for membership in the government.

UTJ members of the Knesset will not fill any positions in the government during the trial period.

Right-wing members of the Likud Party made the participation of the UTJ, which holds five seats in the Knesset, a condition for forming a coalition with Shimon Peres' Labour Party.

The Likud and Labour parties agreed in mid-December on the direction the new coalition should take. Peres is to become vice prime minister, however, he is not to be Sharon's official deputy.

Sharon's existing coalition gradually fell apart last year over Israel's pullout from the Gaza Strip and the 2005 budget.

Sharon needed a new coalition partner in order to carry out his plan to vacate 21 settlements in the Gaza Strip and four other settlements in the northern West Bank this summer.

- SAPA