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Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon Facing No-Confidence Vote Today
Aired November 04, 2002 - 05:31 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CATHERINE CALLAWAY, CNN ANCHOR: Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon facing a no confidence vote today and it doesn't look too good for him in the Knesset.
Jerrold Kessel staying on top of that story in Jerusalem -- Jerrold?
JERROLD KESSEL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Catherine.
And pretty quiet now here in the corridors of the Israeli parliament, but the action will soon be swinging into the plenum, where those no confidence motions will come up this afternoon here. Three no confidence motions from center and left-wing parties. But really Mr. Sharon doesn't have much to fear that he'll go down in that.
I don't think this is going to be a chamber of secrecies, that Harry Potter image, in the Israeli parliament today because the people who have the balance in the vote are the ultra right-wing nationalist party, between Mr. Sharon's now narrow holding of the government and the left-wing opposition, which was joined by the Labor Party, which bolted Mr. Sharon's coalition last week. Because the ultra nationalists are unlikely to support these left-wing no confidence motions, and all the more so because they are still engaged in negotiations with Mr. Sharon about possibly joining his government and making it a more, a less narrow government and keeping him in power for another year, as he's trying to do. Those negotiations still under way. They haven't been played out. And for that reason, the ultra nationalists are unlikely to support the no confidence motions today -- Catherine.
CALLAWAY: Jerrold, Benjamin Netanyahu's offer, what's the latest with that and Ariel Sharon?
KESSEL: Yes, an interesting, quite a neat strategic chess game being played between the two leaders. But really they're, instead of being on the same side, as they ostensibly are, both from the Likud Party, they seem to be opponents, and that's really what it's about. It's more about who will score points over the other in the ongoing leadership battle for the Likud Party. Mr. Netanyahu wants to replace the prime minister in the Likud leadership. He was kind of boxed in by this offer from Mr. Sharon that he become foreign minister. He said he would if Mr. Sharon agreed to go to early elections.
The prime minister doesn't seem inclined to go there, at this stage anyway, and still wants to hang on by trying to bring in the ultra nationalists. Mr. Sharon and Mr. Netanyahu seem to have squared off in a kind of stalemate situation rather than a checkmate for either of them, and in the meantime Mr. Sharon plows on trying to keep in power with a narrow coalition -- Catherine.
CALLAWAY: Indeed, it is a political chess game.
All right, Jerrold Kessel.
Thank you, Jerrold.
And, of course, we're going to be following this story, along with several other international stories, throughout the day here on CNN.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
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Aired November 4, 2002 - 05:31 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CATHERINE CALLAWAY, CNN ANCHOR: Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon facing a no confidence vote today and it doesn't look too good for him in the Knesset.
Jerrold Kessel staying on top of that story in Jerusalem -- Jerrold?
JERROLD KESSEL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Catherine.
And pretty quiet now here in the corridors of the Israeli parliament, but the action will soon be swinging into the plenum, where those no confidence motions will come up this afternoon here. Three no confidence motions from center and left-wing parties. But really Mr. Sharon doesn't have much to fear that he'll go down in that.
I don't think this is going to be a chamber of secrecies, that Harry Potter image, in the Israeli parliament today because the people who have the balance in the vote are the ultra right-wing nationalist party, between Mr. Sharon's now narrow holding of the government and the left-wing opposition, which was joined by the Labor Party, which bolted Mr. Sharon's coalition last week. Because the ultra nationalists are unlikely to support these left-wing no confidence motions, and all the more so because they are still engaged in negotiations with Mr. Sharon about possibly joining his government and making it a more, a less narrow government and keeping him in power for another year, as he's trying to do. Those negotiations still under way. They haven't been played out. And for that reason, the ultra nationalists are unlikely to support the no confidence motions today -- Catherine.
CALLAWAY: Jerrold, Benjamin Netanyahu's offer, what's the latest with that and Ariel Sharon?
KESSEL: Yes, an interesting, quite a neat strategic chess game being played between the two leaders. But really they're, instead of being on the same side, as they ostensibly are, both from the Likud Party, they seem to be opponents, and that's really what it's about. It's more about who will score points over the other in the ongoing leadership battle for the Likud Party. Mr. Netanyahu wants to replace the prime minister in the Likud leadership. He was kind of boxed in by this offer from Mr. Sharon that he become foreign minister. He said he would if Mr. Sharon agreed to go to early elections.
The prime minister doesn't seem inclined to go there, at this stage anyway, and still wants to hang on by trying to bring in the ultra nationalists. Mr. Sharon and Mr. Netanyahu seem to have squared off in a kind of stalemate situation rather than a checkmate for either of them, and in the meantime Mr. Sharon plows on trying to keep in power with a narrow coalition -- Catherine.
CALLAWAY: Indeed, it is a political chess game.
All right, Jerrold Kessel.
Thank you, Jerrold.
And, of course, we're going to be following this story, along with several other international stories, throughout the day here on CNN.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
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