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Last update - 01:46 23/06/2008
Barak ignores Olmert threat, vows Labor will vote to dissolve Knesset
By Mazal Mualem, Haaretz Correspondent
Tags: Ehud Barak, Ehud Olmert 

Labor Party chairman Ehud Barak said Sunday he was determined that members of his party would vote Wednesday in favor of a preliminary reading of a bill to disperse the Knesset, despite Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's threat to dismiss Labor ministers who do so and opposition to the move from Labor MKs.

In light of the differences of opinion within the party, the Labor faction will meet Monday afternoon to vote on Barak's decision.

Labor ministers Yuli Tamir and Ghaleb Majadele are leading the fight against Barak. Other Laborites who oppose the move include MKs Amir Peretz and Nadia Hilou. Tamir said Sunday the Labor Central Committee should be convened immediately to decide on the matter.
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"If Labor ministers are interested in leaving the government, a Central Committee meeting must be held immediately and make a clear decision in the party's institutions, as required," she said.

Barak associates said Sunday it appears that Olmert is prepared to sacrifice the good of the country for the sake of personal interests. One of them said Olmert's opposition to dispersing the Knesset is "a cynical move" meant to prevent his ouster by his Kadima party.

The associates said if Olmert carries through on his threat to dismiss Labor ministers, the move will spark a no-confidence motion next week, which will lead to immediate elections.

Barak told Labor ministers Sunday that steps are being taken toward the establishment of an alternative government.

Olmert associates said the prime minister was set on dismissing Labor ministers who vote in favor of the dispersal of the Knesset, even at the price of moving toward early elections.

"There is a limit to every prank and political trick of Barak," one of the associates said. "Enough of his games. No one will sit in the government after voting in favor of dispersing the Knesset. It's impossible to lead like this. The prime minister has no desire to lead a faltering government. Barak is acting against the views of half the
members of his faction."

Although Shas is threatening to vote in favor of dispersing the Knesset as well, unless child allowance benefits are increased, Olmert decided yesterday not to threaten Shas ministers with dismissal.

"We have ideological disagreements with Shas, and we will try to resolve them by Wednesday," an Olmert associate said.

The prime minister's associates said teams representing Olmert and Shas were working on finding a solution, but said there was no plan to increase the child benefits themselves, but rather to increase allotments for the poor in other ways.

However, a Shas official said no one sat with party representatives "in a serious manner."

"The fact that [Finance Minister] Roni Bar-On and [Cabinet Secretary] Oved Yehezkel spoke to [Shas chairman] Eli Yishai doesn't mean anything," the party official said. "From our perspective, nothing has changed."

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