Israeli Foreign Minister, Silvan Shalom, told the Israeli Radio on Wednesday morning that the Likud party is in crisis, and vowed to save it from its current situation and to “return it to its former glory”.
Shalom also warned that the Benjamin Netanyahu, who is running for Likud leadership, and the former Israeli Prime Minister, would destroy the party.
Also, Shalom added that the Israeli public would not support Netanyahu and would not accept his lead in the race for chairmanship.
“You can hear the public saying ‘just not Bibi’”, shalom said, referring to a slogan which was used in 1999 when Netanyahu was defeated by Ehud Barak, from the Labor party.
Meanwhile, the Israeli Prime Minister, Ariel Sharon, continued to gain wider support. On Tuesday, some 70 town mayors and local authorities announced their support to Sharon during a meeting he held with them at his official residence in Jerusalem.
The meeting is considered the first political gathering since he left the Likud party.
Israeli online daily Haaretz reported that Sharon supporters want to ensure he partners with the Likud, but this would be unlikely if Benjamin Netanyahu becomes its head.
During the meeting with the mayors, Sharon said that the “Kadima party is a home for anyone who wants to see Israel as the state of the Jews, democratic and treating all its citizens equally”.
