Levy, Sharon and withdrawal from the Golan

The chairman of the Israeli Mifdal Party, Yitzhak Levy, who is also the Israeli minister of settlements, said in an interview with Israeli Radio on Sunday that progress was attained in the peace talks in Shepherdstown between Syria and Israel, but it is not a "dramatic progress."

Levy added, "Ehud Barak had explained to me during the telephone call he made with me on Saturday evening that there is a need to hold a new round of negotiations," adding that Barak did not go into the details of such a progress. "We are stepping into giving up the Golan and dismantling the Jewish blocs existing there, a matter which we do not accept," Levy added.

Levy stressed that the Mifdal party will quit the governmental coalition if the Golan is given up and the Jewish settlements are dismantled from there.

For his part, the chairman of the Likud Party, Ariel Sharon, stressed that Barak has given up the Golan and that there is Israeli consent on that. He added that the US and Syria know about such consent which indicates that there is an Israeli "giving up" of the Golan anyhow and in the course of a settlement.

Sharon added that Barak showed his agreement for a very dangerous matter: giving arms to Syria.

Sharon questioned how Israel can say that there is a progress in the security conditions in this case when the Golan is given up and at the same time weapons are being given to Syria.

Sharon was asked about his approval of giving up the Golan as said in the mass media, he said, "This is groundless." He added, "During my meeting with the US president and others I did not express my approval to giving up the Golan," on the contrary "I expressed the need for Israel's adherence to the Golan."

On the other hand, Israeli Radio added that ministers and heads of the Labor Party started their contacts with the blocs taking part in the coalition in order to make a referendum concerning peace with Syria, adding that such contacts are mainly concentrating on the Shas movement.

The radio added that members of the Shas movement threatened to vote in favor of a draft law prepared by the Likud on the referendum. This draft law speaks of a special parliamentary majority, which means a referendum excluding Arab members in the Knesset.

The radio report continued that immediately after his return from the US town of Shepherdstown, Barak will meet with the spiritual leader of the Shas movement, Rabbi Odabadia Youssef, and the movement's chairman, Eli Beshai, in an attempt to convince the movement to vote in favor of the draft project of the labor party concerning the referendum, a draft project which speaks of an ordinary parliamentary majority (having the Arab members in the Knesset).

The radio added that Barak will tell Shas of the consequences of voting for the Likud project concerning the referendum, which might lead to halting peace negotiations with Syria.