Embattled Sharon vows to save government, Gaza pullout

Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, his government in ruins, vowed yesterday to rebuild it by recruiting the Labour Party to stave off snap elections and carry out his Gaza withdrawal plan on schedule in 2005.

Palestinian politics were also in turmoil, dampening hopes for peacemaking with Israel after Yasser Arafat's death, with jailed grassroots leader Marwan Barghouthi's decision to run for president upsetting the campaign of moderate Mahmoud Abbas.

Leaders of the dominant Palestinian faction Fatah, for which Barghouthi served as West Bank chief before Israel arrested him in 2002, condemned his move as divisive.

The US also expressed concern. "We see his candidacy as problematic," a State Department official said. "You have to wonder how somebody sitting in a jail cell could run the Palestinian Authority or make the commitments in the road map (peace plan)."

Mr Abbas has criticised an armed Palestinian revolt as a mistake and wants to curb violence to launch statehood talks with Israel. If he crashed to election defeat, US-led efforts to kickstart a frozen peace process could prove fruitless.

Amid the threat of Barghouthi's candidacy, Mr Abbas pursued talks with Hamas militants in Gaza City in a second meeting held since Mr Arafat died on November 11.

Hamas official Mahmoud al-Zahar said they discussed drawing up a "national charter" to unify Palestinian ranks.

Mr Sharon, whose unruly coalition unravelled when he threw out his junior partner for voting against the 2005 budget in parliament, emerged unbowed with a pledge to persevere with the US-backed Gaza pullout and avoid snap elections that would derail it.

"I have no choice but to attempt to broaden the coalition with Labour (as well as) religious parties," he said in broadcast remarks, referring to his right-wing party.

Mr Sharon said the Gaza pullout "will be implemented, period... we are facing fateful decisions and it's important to have a wide, stable unity government. Leaving Gaza is the most important thing now in the view of most of the Israeli public."

But trouble lurked in Likud and Labour party ranks alike.