Labor Party Chairman Shimon Peres said Wednesday that Labor wants to see the Israeli right carry out the disengagement plan by itself.
Peres comments came after the Israeli High Court decision to hold the next general elections no later than November 2006.
While Peres told Labor Knesset faction that he should remain party chairman until the end of 2005, Few Labor leaders called speeding the process of electing a permanent party chairman.
‘If there is already a date for elections, a chairman must be elected as soon as possible, in order to lead the building of the party and prepare for elections’ said Labor MK Benjamin Ben-Eliezer.
Peres denied receiving any call from Prime Minister Ariel Sharon for unity government talks, saying that any such initiatives would be openly brought to party officials for discussion.
‘From our standpoint, it would be preferable if the right went ahead by itself with the plan for evacuation and removing settlements, this is the best thing that could happen.’ Peres told Army Radio.
The High Court of Justice ruled on Tuesday that elections for the 17th Knesset will be held in November 2006, not November 2007.
Ben-Eliezer, Mattan Vilai, Ehud Barak, and Haim Ramon are expected to compete for Labor chairman position.
Sharon earlier said that he plans to run for prime minister again in the upcoming elections.
