Israel sets March 28 for election

A Palestinian man shouts as he rescues an injured man caught in clashes with Israeli forces yesterday in the northern West Bank city of Jenin. Six young Palestinians were wounded by Israeli fire during a military incursion into the volatile northern city of Jenin, medical sources and witnesses said. The six youngsters were wounded when Israeli soldiers opened fire towards schoolchildren throwing stones in defiance of a curfew imposed after troops rolled into the flashpoint town, the sources said.. PHOTO: AFP

Sharon bolted from his hard-line Likud and formed the new "National Responsibility" party, which picked up momentum Wednesday with an announcement by Haim Ramon, a senior Labor Party politician, that he is joining the group. He was the first Labor legislator to switch to the Sharon camp.

Sharon's aides said Wednesday he would campaign on the US-backed "road map" plan, which calls for Palestinian statehood as part of a peace deal. However, aides Lior Horev and Eyal Arad insisted that Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas must dismantle militant groups before Israel has to start meeting its obligations, such as freezing West Bank settlement construction and removing outposts.

Palestinian officials said Sharon's approach will lead to deadlock and is a cover for Israel drawing its borders unilaterally, including by building a separation barrier in the West Bank.

"I think this is more lip service and diversional tactics than a political platform," said Palestinian legislator Hanan Ashrawi.

In the leaderless Likud, meanwhile, the race for the top spot was heating up, with Defence Minister Shaul Mofaz sharply attacking rival Benjamin Netanyahu over his social spending cuts as finance minister under Sharon.

The Likud primary, tentatively set for Dec. 19, is expected to be waged over economic issues. Mofaz, who has a working class background, also disparaged what he said was Netanyahu's privileged upbringing.

In Palestinian politics, parliament rejected a proposal to change the election law at the last minute, clearing the way for parliament elections to be held as scheduled on Jan. 25.

Legislators voted 20-10 against the proposal, brought by lawmakers from the ruling Fatah movement. The legislators had wanted to have all candidates compete on party lists. Under the current system, half compete on party lists and the others at the district level.

The Islamic militant group Hamas is dominant in Gaza, and Fatah activists there feared they would do poorly in competition at the district level. Approval of the changes would have delayed the vote by several weeks. Abbas is under strong pressure at home and abroad to hold the election on time.