Excerpts from Sharon's undelivered speech to the Likud Central Committee

Excerpts from Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's undelivered speech to the Likud Central Committee

Sunday, September 25, 2005

"The vote tomorrow is not a technical vote - it is a move to depose me and an expression of no-confidence in the way in which the Likud has led the country. And it's all because of a desire for revenge and personal ambition that knows no bounds."

"It would be suicide that would destroy the Likud and bring it to one place only - the opposition."

"Tomorrow we will have to decide how we will vote and which Likud we want. We will determine whether it will be a Likud in the heart of the national consensus or an extreme Likud pushed to the sidelines; a large and influential ruling party, or a small and non-influential party in the opposition, like the one I inherited six years ago."

"We must say the truth that everyone knows: When we get to it, not everything will remain in our hands. We have a dream, and it is right and just. But there is also reality, and it is tough and demanding. It's impossible to sustain a Jewish and democratic state as well as control all parts of the Land of Israel."

"If we insist on the realization of the entire dream, we are likely to lose everything, simply everything. That is where the extreme path is headed."

"The decision is yours, central committee members, regarding which way the Likud will go: a small, extremist Likud in opposition, or a large, strong, centrist Likud leading the nation responsibly and with discretion."