A historic realignment of Israeli politics jumped forward when longtime Labor Party leader and Mideast peace advocate Shimon Peres transferred his loyalties to Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, a rival who turned into an ally when he pulled Israel out of Gaza.
Saying the prime minister was the best choice to lead Israel to peace with the Palestinians, Peres announced his switch on Wednesday, quitting his political home of six decades to campaign for Sharon's new centrist party. Peres cited peace efforts but is also piqued at Labor Party members, who earlier this month rejected his bid to become Labor's candidate for prime minister again.
Peres' defection was an important coup for Sharon in the scramble by the major parties to recruit high-profile supporters during the political realignment that has shaken the country over the past three weeks.
Now both Sharon and Peres have left parties they guided for decades, joining forces in a new political lineup.
They could emerge from March 28 elections at the head of a solid bloc in favor of compromises for peace with the Palestinians for the first time.
Many Israelis respect Peres, an 82-year-old former prime minister, as an elder statesman and peacemaker, but they remain wary of his dovish politics.
Under a reported deal worked out with Sharon, Peres would support Kadima, the party Sharon formed last week after leaving the hardline Likud, but he would not officially join the party and he would not run for a seat in parliament, where he has served since 1959.
In return, Sharon would give Peres a senior post in his next government if Sharon is re-elected.
His voice shaking with emotion, Peres said the decision to leave Labor was not easy, but he believed Sharon was best suited to pursue a peace deal with the Palestinians.
People can preregister to receive their NT$10,000 (US$325) cash distributed from the central government on Nov. 5 after President William Lai (賴清德) yesterday signed the Special Budget for Strengthening Economic, Social and National Security Resilience, the Executive Yuan told a news conference last night. The special budget, passed by the Legislative Yuan on Friday last week with a cash handout budget of NT$236 billion, was officially submitted to the Executive Yuan and the Presidential Office yesterday afternoon. People can register through the official Web site at https://10000.gov.tw to have the funds deposited into their bank accounts, withdraw the funds at automated teller
PEACE AND STABILITY: Maintaining the cross-strait ‘status quo’ has long been the government’s position, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Taiwan is committed to maintaining the cross-strait “status quo” and seeks no escalation of tensions, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) said yesterday, rebutting a Time magazine opinion piece that described President William Lai (賴清德) as a “reckless leader.” The article, titled “The US Must Beware of Taiwan’s Reckless Leader,” was written by Lyle Goldstein, director of the Asia Program at the Washington-based Defense Priorities think tank. Goldstein wrote that Taiwan is “the world’s most dangerous flashpoint” amid ongoing conflicts in the Middle East and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. He said that the situation in the Taiwan Strait has become less stable
Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi yesterday lavished US President Donald Trump with praise and vows of a “golden age” of ties on his visit to Tokyo, before inking a deal with Washington aimed at securing critical minerals. Takaichi — Japan’s first female prime minister — pulled out all the stops for Trump in her opening test on the international stage and even announced that she would nominate him for a Nobel Peace Prize, the White House said. Trump has become increasingly focused on the Nobel since his return to power in January and claims to have ended several conflicts around the world,
REASSURANCE: The US said Taiwan’s interests would not be harmed during the talk and that it remains steadfast in its support for the nation, the foreign minister said US President Donald Trump on Friday said he would bring up Taiwan with Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) during a meeting on the sidelines of the APEC Summit in South Korea this week. “I will be talking about Taiwan [with Xi],” Trump told reporters before he departed for his trip to Asia, adding that he had “a lot of respect for Taiwan.” “We have a lot to talk about with President Xi, and he has a lot to talk about with us. I think we’ll have a good meeting,” Trump said. Taiwan has long been a contentious issue between the US and China.
RSS