BS: Sharon plan defeated by Likud vote

Subject: BS: Sharon plan defeated by Likud vote
From: GUEST
Date: 02 May 04 - 05:51 PM

The Palestinian-Israeli impasse just keeps getting more and more bizarre, at the same time the light of hope grows darker and darker.

Sharon says he will not resign, despite the decisive no vote, and the apparent loss of support of his party. News reports are saying he may have lost the vote by as much as 12-24%, with final results expected tomorrow.

Of course, this will also be seen as a defeat for Bush, since he hitched his star in the Middle East to Sharon, and was the first one out of the gate to back the so-called "disengagement" plan.

The Washington Post is saying "The rejection of Sharon's proposal by his own party creates a new level of turmoil and uncertainty in Israeli domestic politics, Israeli-Palestinian relations, and the Bush administration's search for a solution to the 3-1/2 year Israeli-Palestinian conflict. It raises questions about whether Likud -- which leads the government at the head of a four party coalition -- is out of step with Israelis, who in opinion surveys have overwhelmingly supported removing settlements and troops from Gaza."